Evaluating Screening Adherence Between Moment for Parents App and Attention Control

Mental health challenges, such as depression and anxiety, are the most common medical complications during pregnancy and after childbirth. Many women experience these symptoms, yet half are never screened, let alone diagnosed. When mental health concerns go unnoticed, they can affect a mother's well-being, her birth experience, and her child's development. When identified early, these conditions are treatable. However, current healthcare practices often fail to screen women consistently, and many women do not feel comfortable discussing emotional struggles with healthcare providers.

This study will test whether a mobile app called Moment for Parents can help pregnant and postpartum women complete mental health screenings more regularly. The app includes educational articles, guided reflections, and mood check-ins that help women explore their feelings in a private, supportive environment. The app also includes a chatbot that guides them through short lessons about motherhood, stress, relationships, and emotional well-being. These conversations are designed to feel friendly and relatable, like talking with a knowledgeable companion rather than filling out a medical form. The investigators expect that this more personal experience may make it easier for women to notice and track changes in their mental health and encourage them to complete regular screeners.

The study will enroll 160 women who are pregnant or within the first year after giving birth. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:

Intervention group: Uses the full Moment for Parents app, including the interactive chatbot.

Control group: Uses a simplified version of the app with weekly articles but no chatbot.

Both groups will receive mental health screenings through the app over a 12-week period. These screenings include standard, widely used questionnaires that measure symptoms of depression and anxiety.

If a participant's answers show signs of concerning symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, or thoughts of self-harm, the study team will connect her to licensed mental health professionals for support. This offers more rapid help than the current standard of care, which often screens women only once during pregnancy.

The investigators hypothesize that women who interact with the chatbot version of the Moment for Parents app will complete mental health screenings twice as often as women using the app without the chatbot. In other words, the investigators believe the chatbot will increase regular screening by creating a more engaging and supportive experience.

Increasing the number of completed mental health screenings could help identify emotional struggles earlier, when treatment is most effective. If this study shows that the Moment for Parents app improves screening and engagement, it could guide the design of a larger study and help shape future care for pregnant and postpartum women nationwide. Overall, this research aims to make mental health support more accessible, less stigmatizing, and easier to use.