Lord SE, Rao D. Mindful moms: acceptability and impact of co-designed and digitally delivered video meditations for pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorder. Ann Med. 2025;57(1):2486585. doi:10.1080/07853890.2025.2486585
This pilot study examined the initial efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of a brief, digitally delivered mindfulness meditation intervention for pregnant and parenting women with opioid use disorder (OUD). In a pre-post study design, participants (n = 20) were randomly assigned to receive four of 16 short meditation videos, each delivered via email through a survey link over a 2-week period (two per week). Participants were women aged 18 and older who were receiving treatment in three outpatient settings in northern New England, including two maternity care practices providing buprenorphine and one academic substance use treatment program. Recruitment was conducted through clinician referrals and the posting of flyers. The videos had been previously co-designed with representative end-users and was grounded in Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention and included practices focused on body awareness, breathing, sounds and sights, thoughts, attention, urge surfing, and loving kindness and compassion. Each brief survey assessed acceptability, usefulness, anxiety reduction, and future use intentions. Stress was measured using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and mindfulness was measured with the 15-item Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). There was a significant decrease in mean perceived stress scores from 21.49 to 19.85, reflecting a moderate effect size. The proportion of participants in the low-stress category increased from 5% at baseline to 20% post-intervention. Mindfulness scores increased significantly from 3.47 to 3.76, also with a moderate effect size. Participant feedback on the videos was positive; over 80% of participants reported that the videos were useful, enjoyable, reduced anxiety, and would be used again. Findings indicate that a brief, 12-minute digital meditation intervention is feasible, acceptable, and shows promise for supporting recovery among women with OUD. Future research is needed to expand on this pilot study.