Effects of e-Health interventions on psychological outcomes among high-risk pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- 1College of Nursing and Research Institute of Nursing Science, Ajou University, Worldcup-ro 164, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea.
- 2College of Nursing and Research Institute of Nursing Science, Ajou University, Worldcup-ro 164, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
High-risk pregnant women face not only physical health issues but also substantial psychological challenges. With the growing interest in innovative strategies, e-Health interventions have gained recognition as a supportive approach for high-risk pregnant women. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effects of e-Health interventions on psychological outcomes in high-risk pregnant women.Methods
Interventional studies were identified through searches of PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, Cochrane Central, and Scopus databases. A total of 15,996 articles were retrieved, and 42 interventional studies published between 2007 and 2024 were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis.Results
Among 42 studies, 24 (57.2%) were published after 2020, and 32 (76.2%) were randomised controlled trials. The e-Health interventions focused on psychological support (47.6%), physical health management (42.9%), and parenting role education (9.5%). The meta-analysis indicated that e-Health interventions were associated with reductions in anxiety (p = 0.017), depression (p = 0.048), and stress (p = 0.006) among high-risk pregnant women. The heterogeneity was high for the overall anxiety and depression analyses (I² > 80%), and these pooled estimates should be interpreted with caution.Conclusions
Given their accessibility, e-Health interventions may offer potential benefits for the psychological support of high-risk pregnant women; however, these findings should be interpreted cautiously owing to the high heterogeneity in the anxiety and depression estimates. Further research is required to confirm these effects and to evaluate their optimal design, long-term effects, and cost-effectiveness.
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BibTeX
@article{song2026effects,
title = {{Effects of e-Health interventions on psychological outcomes among high-risk pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.}},
author = {Ju-Eun Song and Gyu-Ri Kim and Haejin Park and Ji-Hyun Yang and Jeong-Ah Ahn},
journal = {BMC pregnancy and childbirth},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12884-026-09767-x},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42972274},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of e-Health interventions on psychological outcomes among high-risk pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
AU - Ju-Eun Song
AU - Gyu-Ri Kim
AU - Haejin Park
AU - Ji-Hyun Yang
AU - Jeong-Ah Ahn
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/06
JO - BMC pregnancy and childbirth
DO - 10.1186/s12884-026-09767-x
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42972274
AB - Background High-risk pregnant women face not only physical health issues but also substantial psychological challenges. With the growing interest in innovative strategies, e-Health interventions have gained recognition as a supportive approach for high-risk pregnant women. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effects of e-Health interventions on psychological outcomes in high-risk pregnant women.Methods Interventional studies were identified through searches of PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Embase, Cochrane Central, and Scopus databases. A total of 15,996 articles were retrieved, and 42 interventional studies published between 2007 and 2024 were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis.Results Among 42 studies, 24 (57.2%) were published after 2020, and 32 (76.2%) were randomised controlled trials. The e-Health interventions focused on psychological support (47.6%), physical health management (42.9%), and parenting role education (9.5%). The meta-analysis indicated that e-Health interventions were associated with reductions in anxiety (p = 0.017), depression (p = 0.048), and stress (p = 0.006) among high-risk pregnant women. The heterogeneity was high for the overall anxiety and depression analyses (I² > 80%), and these pooled estimates should be interpreted with caution.Conclusions Given their accessibility, e-Health interventions may offer potential benefits for the psychological support of high-risk pregnant women; however, these findings should be interpreted cautiously owing to the high heterogeneity in the anxiety and depression estimates. Further research is required to confirm these effects and to evaluate their optimal design, long-term effects, and cost-effectiveness.
SN - 1471-2393
ER -