Group prenatal care to support mood before and after birth
Official title: Advancing Insight into Maternal Social Support (AIMSS): Group Prenatal Care and Postpartum Mood
Funded at Meredith College · NIH-11221634 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares group prenatal care (CenteringPregnancy) with usual prenatal care to help pregnant people feel better during pregnancy and after their baby is born.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R15 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Meredith College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Raleigh, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2021 |
| Project end | September 22, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $498,747 |
| NIH project number | 2R15MH126403-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11221634 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pregnant people receiving prenatal care at participating clinics who can attend group visits, especially those concerned about mood during pregnancy and after birth.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not pregnant, those unable to attend regular group prenatal sessions, or those needing immediate intensive psychiatric care are unlikely to benefit from this program.
What this research studies
You would join a CenteringPregnancy group where prenatal visits combine health checkups with peer support and education. Researchers will compare outcomes from people in these groups to those receiving standard one-on-one prenatal care. The team will track mood and mental health from pregnancy through the baby's first year and measure a range of emotional outcomes beyond just depression. The study aims to see whether social support that starts during pregnancy reduces postpartum mood problems and to identify which participants benefit most.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lower rates of postpartum mood problems and improve maternal and infant wellbeing by making supportive prenatal care more widely available.
How similar studies have gone: CenteringPregnancy has been linked to better birth outcomes and some physical health benefits, but strong evidence for improving postpartum mental health is limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Meredith College
Raleigh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Prevatt, Betty-Shannon — Meredith College
- Study coordinator: Prevatt, Betty-Shannon
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.