New Digital Therapy Shows Promising Results in Preventing Anxiety During Pregnancy and After Childbirth

London, United Kingdom: Researchers at King's College London have developed a digital psychological therapy that could help prevent anxiety from worsening during pregnancy and after childbirth. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, highlight the potential of online psychological interventions in supporting maternal mental health.

The study evaluated a programme called REducing Levels of AnXiety (RELAX), designed to address repetitive negative thinking, a psychological pattern associated with persistent worry and anxiety.

The randomised clinical trial involved 268 participants experiencing elevated repetitive negative thinking and mild to moderate anxiety symptoms. Of these, 134 received the RELAX intervention alongside routine maternity care. The programme consisted of 12 short online sessions, completed independently over four weeks using a laptop or tablet.

Results showed that participants receiving RELAX experienced significantly lower anxiety levels during pregnancy and after childbirth compared with those receiving standard care alone. Researchers reported that participants receiving only usual care had nearly six times greater odds of experiencing clinically significant anxiety deterioration.

The intervention also demonstrated improvements in depressive symptoms and repetitive negative thinking. Approximately 81% of participants assigned to RELAX completed at least 10 of the 12 sessions, indicating encouraging engagement with the digital programme.

Professor Colette Hirsch, who led the research, emphasised the need for accessible psychological support for pregnant women experiencing anxiety symptoms without a formal diagnosis.

Following the encouraging trial results, researchers are developing RELAX into a mobile application named LENS4Pregnancy. The team is collaborating with healthcare professionals, service providers and individuals with lived experience to explore its potential integration into maternity healthcare services.

04-11-2026