THE EFFECTS OF NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS ON MATERNAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND NEONATAL OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Maternal behavioral health (BH) problems during pregnancy are associated with increased risk for a wide range of negative infant and child outcomes. An increasing number of pregnant individuals express concerns surrounding the impact of psychotropics on the growth and development of their pregnancy. However, which non-pharmacological forms of treatment mitigate the adverse impacts of prenatal BH problems on children remains unclear. This systematic review aims to examine the efficacy and effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) in supporting pregnant individuals with BH concerns, using the biopsychosocial (BPS) framework to evaluate the impact on both pregnant individual and neonatal outcomes.

A search of MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL, and PsychINFO, was conducted in July 2025. The search returned 6,864 total records. Screening identified 19 studies that met full inclusion criteria. A detailed codebook was used to extract data from eligible studies. Data are presented to characterize this body of literature in terms of features of the interventions, comparison conditions, child and parent populations, and their respective outcomes. Collectively, findings indicate an array of published studies have reported positive effects of prenatal non-pharmacological BH interventions on both birthing parent and child outcomes. Findings from this systematic review indicate that moderate length, skills-based interventions, such as psychoeducation, massage, exercise, and some CBT, demonstrated the most consistent impact on maternal anxiety, depression, stress, and wellbeing. While body-based interventions appear promising for infant improvement, less is known about what is most effective for reducing the negative impact of maternal behavioral health on infant outcomes.