VIRTUAL COMMUNITY for PREGNANT WOMEN

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The study aimed to investigate the effect of exclusive peer-to-peer virtual support on pregnant women's well-being including physical symptoms, depression, social support, maternal attachment, and pregnancy adaptation.

Detailed Description
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The pregnancy period is marked by not only the joy and excitement of bonding with her baby but also dramatic changes in her body. The Internet's convenience and anonymity provide great possibilities for pregnant women to create a social network for sharing personal stories, seeking information and asking questions, and expressing own emotions and concerns. Although health-related online communities are emerging rapidly around the globe, little is known about the impact of a virtual peer community on pregnant women's well-being. The study enrolled 138 pregnant women, who were assigned to either the experimental or control groups. After obtaining informed consent from participants, we asked them to fill out the baseline questionnaires (Time 1). The first and second follow-ups (Times 2 and 3) were conducted at 22-24 and 36-38 weeks of pregnancy, respectively. Participants in the experimental group received ordinary prenatal care in addition to virtual community participation, and those in the control group received only ordinary prenatal care.

Official Title
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Impact of A Peer Virtual Community on Pregnant Women's Well-being: A Quasi-experimental Study

Conditions
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Normal Pregnancy

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: virtual community


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Pregnant women were older than 20 years old Had at least 9 years of education. Exclusion Criteria: Had complications in this pregnancy Had underlying medical problems with pregnancy.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 20 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| No Intervention: control group<br>participants received ordinary prenatal care. | |
| Experimental: virtual community group<br>participants were invited to join a virtual community to interact with peers in addition to their ordinary prenatal care. | Other: virtual community<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The pregnancy adaptation scale | Used to investigate the changes in the scores of pregnancy adaptation. Items are scored from 0 to 3 and they are summed to compute a total score ranging from 0 to 84. Higher scores indicate better pregnancy adaptation. | repeated measured at second trimester (22-24 weeks of pregnancy), and the third trimester (36-38 weeks of pregnancy). | 
| The Edinburgh Depression Scale | Used to investigate the changes in the scores of depression. Items are scored from 0 to 3 and they are summed to compute a total score ranging from 0 to 30. The cut-off point for depression is a total score of 12 or above. | repeated measured at second trimester (22-24 weeks of pregnancy), and the third trimester (36-38 weeks of pregnancy). | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Symptoms Checklist | Used to investigate the changes in the scores of pregnancy-related physical symptoms. Items are scored from 1 to 4 and they are summed to compute a total score ranging from 22 to 88. Higher scores indicate experiencing more symptoms. | repeated measured at second trimester (22-24 weeks of pregnancy), and the third trimester (36-38 weeks of pregnancy). | 
| The Social Support Scale | Used to investigate the changes in the scores of social support perception. Items are scored from 1 to 5 and they are summed to compute a total score ranging from 20 to 100. higher scores indicate perceived higher social support from family, peer pregnant women, friends, and healthcare providers. | repeated measured at second trimester (22-24 weeks of pregnancy), and the third trimester (36-38 weeks of pregnancy). | 
| The Maternal-Fetal Attachment Assessment Scale | Used to investigate the changes in the scores of maternal-fetal attachment. Items are scored from 1 to 5 and they are summed to compute a total score ranging from 39 to 195. Higher scores indicate higher maternal-fetal attachment. | repeated measured at second trimester (22-24 weeks of pregnancy), and the third trimester (36-38 weeks of pregnancy). |