STEP-COVID: A Program for Pregnant Women During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

STEP-COVID: A Program for Pregnant Women During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

STEP-COVID (Supporting the Transition to and Engagement in Parenthood during the COVID-19 pandemic) is a manualized group intervention for pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic designed to foster emotion regulation and reflective capacities in participants.

The program aims to (a) support mentalization in relation to oneself, motherhood and the relationship with the child to be born, (b) reduce isolation by allowing participants to exchange about the positive aspects and the challenges of pregnancy and motherhood with other women, (c) explore what pregnant women are going through in the context of the pandemic, (d) allow participants to repossess their experience of pregnancy in the current context of insecurity and fear, and (e) consider new ways of coping with stress and unpleasant emotions. The program is manualized and uses structured activities based on theoretical grounds and empirical research during which facilitators share information, animate reflective activities, and facilitate exchanges.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women ages 18+ years
• Interested in reflecting about their experience of pregnancy and willing to attend weekly sessions in group setting.
• Must speak French as their first language

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder)
• Severe emotional dysregulation
• Current self-harm
• Not sure to keep the child
• High level of hostility