Maternal Telemental Health Interventions in Response to Covid-19*

Low-intensity Psychosocial Interventions in Pregnant Women in Response to COVID-19: Maternal Mental Health Matters An Interventional Study

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a telemental health intervention on the mental health of pregnant women during the COVID-19 crisis in Qatar.

A list of potential participants, including contact information, will be extracted from Women Wellness and Research Center's registry. A probability sampling technique (simple random selection) will be employed to randomly select (Automated Random Number Generator) the potential participants. Then, the potential participants will be contacted and informed about the study. After consenting to participate, they will be screened for eligibility. The pregnant women who met the inclusion criteria will be enrolled and followed up until nine months after delivery. The contact details of each participant will be written on a paper and sealed in an envelope marked with either letter A or B. Upon enrolment, the participants will be randomized equally with a block size of two into two parallel arms. The pregnant women in the interventional arm will receive six sessions of a low-intensity psychosocial intervention through telemental health consultations with a trained psychologist. On the other hand, those in the control arm will not receive any intervention. The participants in both arms will be screened for psychological distress (six times) over the study period.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. All pregnant women of reproductive age (18- 49) years old in the second trimester that agree and consent to receive teleconsultation.
2. No specific nationality restriction.
3. Language communicated English and Arabic.
4. Able to cooperate with data collection procedure.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnant women with psychiatric illness and following up at Sidra or HMC mental services.
2. Pregnant women receiving mental health medications (antidepressants.)
3. Cannot communicate in English or Arabic.
4. Didn't consent.