Date of Award

Spring 6-12-2021

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Undergraduate Education

First Advisor

Dr. Amanda Sesko

Abstract

Pregnancy, particularly the postpartum period is high risk for women with preexisting mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. This research investigates if self-reported use of overall mindfulness and individual facets of mindfulness (observe, describe, nonjudging, acting with awareness, and nonreacting), reduce common symptoms associated with these disorders. Pregnant or postpartum participants recruited from social media groups (18+) were asked to self-report symptoms of mania, depression, anxiety, and five facets of mindfulness. Overall mindfulness was significantly negatively correlated with mania, depression, and anxiety, and in particular with nonjudging and acting with awareness. But symptoms were positively correlated with observe and nonreact. Postpartum participants showed stronger correlations between mindfulness and symptoms than pregnant participants. Mindfulness appears to be effective during the postpartum but facets and timing of mindfulness practices matter.

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