Key Messages

• Pregnant women have been identified as a high risk group who may be more vulnerable to the mental health impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
• Now more than ever, innovative approaches to overcome practical and access barriers to mental health services amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout are needed to prevent and treat emotional difficulties during the perinatal period. To address this need we will evaluate an internet delivered universal program targeting maternal mental health in terms of reach, engagement, and impact on key mental health outcomes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lay Summary

We are awaiting final approval from our institution’s Research Ethics Board. Based on our communication with the REB research office, we should obtain approval by 02/26/2021. Our on-line platform has been updated and is ready to be launched. Students have been involved in the updates and have been testing various wellness apps that we recommend in our resources section. Our assessment measures have been programmed into REDCAP in both French and English and pre-tested by members of our team. We have identified various network groups targeting pregnant women in the Montreal area to assist with recruitment via social media.

Author(s)

• Nominated Principal Applicant: Deborah Da Costa, PhD, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Population

Children, Youth and Families

Language

To ensure the rapid dissemination of this critical information, information is published in the language in which it was submitted. Please contact us for French or English translations.