Brief Psycho-educational Intervention to Enhance Maternal Reflective Functioning in the Early Postpartum Among Primiparous: Pilot Study

Background and Rationale. The transition to first-time motherhood is a sensitive period for women's mental health and for establishing early caregiving. Maternal reflective functioning (RF) supports sensitive caregiving and mother-infant adaptation, yet brief and scalable RF-focused postpartum supports are scarce. We developed a short psycho-educational program targeting core RF skills (identifying mental states, pausing and reflecting under stress, reading infant cues, perspective-taking, and repairing mismatches).

Objectives. (1) Evaluate feasibility and acceptability (recruitment, attendance, retention, satisfaction). (2) Estimate preliminary efficacy on maternal RF (primary) and explore effects on maternal symptoms and emotion regulation.

Design and Procedures. Community-recruited primiparous mothers (≥18 years; 1-5 months postpartum; fluent in Hebrew; internet access) completed baseline (T1) and were randomized 1:1 to Intervention versus Wait-List using a computer-generated schedule with concealed allocation. The intervention includes four weekly 90-minute Zoom sessions delivered by a trained clinician and brief home practices; make-up was offered for one missed session. Wait-list participants were offered the program after the post-intervention assessment. Masking of participants was not feasible; FMSS-RF transcripts were coded blind to group and time by trained raters (excellent inter-rater reliability). Outcomes are assessed at T1 (baseline) and post-intervention (T2; ~4-5 weeks after T1).

Measures.

Primary: Interview-based maternal RF (FMSS-RF global score) at T2.

Exploratory: PRFQ-CMS (self-report RF), EPDS (depressive symptoms), ERQ-Suppression, plus feasibility/acceptability indices.

Analysis. Pilot-level estimation emphasizes effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals. Primary analyses test the Group×Time effect on FMSS-RF (with mixed-models/ANCOVA adjusting for baseline); intention-to-treat analyses are planned alongside per-protocol sensitivity analyses.

Oversight and Transparency. Approved by the University of Haifa Ethics Committee (Faculty of Education; approval 350/21). Minimal risk; no data monitoring committee. The trial is retrospectively registered; the FMSS-RF at post-intervention is the pre-specified primary outcome, and other outcomes are labeled exploratory. De-identified materials and analysis code will be shared on OSF consistent with institutional policy.

Inclusion criteria

• Primiparous women (first-time mothers).
• Age ≥18 years.
• 1-5 months postpartum at enrollment.
• Fluent in Hebrew and able to provide informed consent.
• Internet access and a device enabling Zoom sessions.
• Availability to attend four weekly 90-minute group sessions.

Exclusion criteria

• Current psychosis, bipolar manic episode, or active suicidality requiring urgent care.
• Substance dependence in the past 6 months.
• Severe cognitive/neurological condition that would preclude participation.
• Concurrent enrollment in another structured parenting/RF intervention during the trial period.