Supporting parents in the transition to parenthood through wellbeing interventions; An international scoping review

Problem: Many first-time parents experience poor wellbeing during the transition to parenthood. 

Background: The transition to parenthood can be challenging, with consequences to wellbeing for many first-time parents. While parents are often well-supported to care for their children, there are minimal supports available to care for themselves. To support parents in caring for their children, they need to be supported in their own care. 

Research question: What evidence-based universal interventions supporting parent wellbeing from conception to 12 months post birth exist? 

Methods: A scoping search across four databases to identify studies measuring and reporting wellbeing outcomes of parents who participated in a prevention intervention aiming to improve wellbeing. 

Findings: Seventy-four studies, reporting on 70 unique interventions, were included. Interventions were grouped into eight categories depending on their main mechanism of focus. Studies measured a range of wellbeing outcomes. Thirty-five studies provided evidence of effectiveness across all their reported outcomes. These interventions ranged across the different categories of focus, typically included mothers-only, were delivered post-birth, by a facilitator, in-person and individually. 

Discussion: Wellbeing is complex and existing evidence demonstrates a range of intervention components that may effectively support parent wellbeing. Inconsistency in defining wellbeing and diversity in outcome measurements limits our ability to determine which components of these interventions are the most effective. 

Conclusion: Findings from this review support a multifaceted approach to supporting parents’ wellbeing during this transition, with considered intervention focus and design to support a universal population across all facets of wellbeing.