Making Space in Parenthood: testing the effectiveness of a 5-week self-compassion intervention in the postnatal period

ISRCTN	ISRCTN42159683
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN42159683
Secondary identifying numbers	G071624N

Submission date: 16/09/2025
Registration date: 18/09/2025
Last edited: 17/09/2025

Recruitment status: Not yet recruiting
Overall study status: Ongoing
Condition category: Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Record updated in last year

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
Becoming a parent can be a joyful but also stressful experience, especially during the first year of a baby’s life. Many parents feel pressure to be perfect and may struggle with self-criticism, social pressures or infant related pressures. This study aims to evaluate a 5-week self-compassion training designed to help postpartum parents cope with these challenges, improve their wellbeing, and support their baby’s development.

Who can participate?
Parents of a baby aged 1 to 9 months at the start of the training who have sufficient understanding of Dutch

What does the study involve?
Participants will take part in a 5-week group training program focused on self-compassion in parenting. Each session lasts 2 hours and includes mindfulness exercises, practical tools, and group discussions. To evaluate the program, participants will be asked to complete online questionnaires at four timepoints: before the program begins, immediately after the program ends, 2 months later and 6 months post-intervention. After each session, participants will also complete a short feedback questionnaire.
A separate group of parents who do not participate in the training will be recruited as a control group. These parents will complete the same questionnaires at the same time points, but will not receive the training. They will be matched to the intervention group.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Benefits may include:
1. Learning practical tools for managing stress and pressure in early parenthood
2. Gaining support from other parents
3. Developing greater self-kindness and awareness as a parent
There are no known risks associated with participating in this study.

Where is the study run from?
The study is conducted by Ghent University in collaboration with AZ Sint-Lucas Ghent (Belgium)

When is the study starting and how long will it run?
October 2024 to August 2028

Who is funding the study?
The study is funded by Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO): G071624N

Who is the main contact?
Lumein Hillewaert, Lumein.Hillewaert@ugent.be

Contact information

Miss Lumein Hillewaert
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator

Henri Dunantlaan 2
Gent
9000
Belgium

ORCID ID	0009-0007-5991-6792
Phone	+32 (0)92646419
Email	Lumein.Hillewaert@Ugent.be

Prof Katrijn Brenning
Principal Investigator

Henri Dunantlaan 2
Gent
9000
Belgium

Phone	+32 (0)92646419
Email	Katrijn.Brenning@ugent.be

Study information

Study design	Pre-post-follow-up design (including two follow-ups) for the intervention group, with a matched control group recruited from the general population completing assessments at the same timepoints
Primary study design	Interventional
Secondary study design	Non randomised study
Study setting(s)	Community, Hospital
Study type	Prevention, Treatment
Participant information sheet	Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a participant information sheet.
Scientific title	Making Space in Parenthood (MSP): development and matched-control evaluation of a 5-week self-compassion intervention for postpartum parents
Study acronym	MSP
Study objectives	Primary hypothesis: Compared with a matched control group, postpartum parents who complete the 5-week self-compassion program will show greater improvements in parental self-compassion at post-intervention. Secondary (exploratory) hypotheses: Compared with the control group, intervention participants are expected to report broader benefits in parental mental health and parenting and their infants are expected to show more favorable outcomes in early mental-health–related domains (e.g., self-regulation). These effects are expected to be maintained at 2- and 6-month follow-up assessments.
Ethics approval(s)	1. Approved 03/06/2025, Ethics committee UZ Ghent (C. Heymanslaan 10, Gent, 9000, Belgium; +32 (0)9 332 33 36; ethisch.comite@uzgent.be), ref: ONZ-2025-0099 2. Approved 04/03/2025, Ethics committee AZ Sint-Lucas Gent (Groenebriel 1, Gent, 9000, Belgium; +32 (0)92245490; cme@azstlucas.be), ref: 2025-6
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	Postpartum parents experiencing challenges related to early parenthood (child regulatory problems, parental exhaustion, parental self-criticism), with a focus on improving parental wellbeing and supporting infant mental health during the first year after birth
Intervention	The MSP program supports parents in developing skills to manage the challenges of early parenthood. The five-session training (each 2 hours) includes: Session 1: Self-Compassion as a Powerful Foundation Session 2: From Autopilot to Mindful with Your Baby Session 3: Loving-Kindness in Parenthood Session 4: Common Humanity Session 5: Living Parenthood with Heart and Intention The program helps parents cultivate self-compassion in daily life and parenting by offering practical tools and a safe space to share experiences. Each session includes guided mindfulness meditation, self-reflection exercises (e.g., writing), and psychoeducation on applying self-compassion in parenting. Sessions are led by two clinical psychologists experienced in mindfulness. The series starts with an introduction and ends with a future-oriented session. The core content is in sessions 2–4, focusing on the three core components of self-compassion. To evaluate the program, questionnaires will be administered at four time points: before the program (pre-assessment), immediately after (post-assessment), 8 weeks after completion (follow-up 1), and 6 months after completion (follow-up 2). A matched control group will be recruited separately from the general population. The control group will complete the same questionnaires at the same time intervals as the intervention group.
Intervention type	Behavioural
Primary outcome measure	Parental self-compassion assessed using the Self-Compassion Scale adapted to the parenting context before the program (pre-assessment), immediately after (post-assessment), 8 weeks after completion (follow-up 1), and 6 months after completion (follow-up 2).
Secondary outcome measures	Measured before the program (pre-assessment), immediately after (post-assessment), 8 weeks after completion (follow-up 1), and 6 months after completion (follow-up 2) unless stated otherwise: 1. Perceived social pressure measured with the Perceived Parental Social Pressure Scale 2. Parenting perfectionism measured with the Self-Oriented Parenting Perfectionism subscale of the Multidimensional Parenting Perfectionism Questionnaire 3. Emotion regulation strategies measured with the Emotion Regulation Inventory 4. Postnatal depressive symptoms assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) 5. Parental stress measured with two items referring to (a) stress in the parenting context and (b) stress related to other aspects of life 6. Parental burnout assessed with the Brief Parental Burnout Scale 7. Vitality measured with the Subjective Vitality Scale 8. Parental sense of competence measured with three items from the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale 9. Mindful parenting measured using the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IM-P), adapted to infants 10. Parental sensitive responsiveness assessed with the Parental Responsiveness Scale 11. Emotional reactions to infant crying measured with the My Emotions Questionnaire 12. Infant temperament and self-regulation assessed using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire – Revised (IBQ-R) and three additional items on sleep, feeding and crying 13. Dispositional mindfulness assessed with the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) as a predictor at T1 14. Acceptability of the program using questions like for example "Do you feel you’ve taken something of lasting value from this program?", and by adding an open question at the post-assessment 15. Acceptability of the program in detail assessed using a short evaluation scale at the end of each session
Overall study start date	01/10/2024
Completion date	01/08/2028

Eligibility

Participant type(s)	Healthy volunteer, Patient, Other
Age group	Adult
Lower age limit	18 Years
Upper age limit	65 Years
Sex	Both
Target number of participants	50 in intervention group, 50 in control group
Key inclusion criteria	1. Parent of a baby aged 1 to 9 months at the start of the training 2. Proficient in Dutch language
Key exclusion criteria	1. Infant's age outside the 1–9 month range at the start of the training 2. Insufficient proficiency in Dutch language 3. Current severe psychopathology requiring specialized treatment
Date of first enrolment	22/09/2025
Date of final enrolment	01/02/2028

Locations

Countries of recruitment

Belgium

Study participating centre

AZ Sint-Lucas Gent

Groenebriel 1
Gent
9000
Belgium

Sponsor information

Ghent University
University/education

Henri Dunantlaan 2
Gent
9000
Belgium

Email	research@ugent.be
Website	https://www.ugent.be
"ROR"	https://ror.org/00cv9y106

Funders

Funder type

Government

Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Government organisation / Local government

Alternative name(s): Research Foundation Flanders, Flemish Research Foundation, FWO
Location: Belgium

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date	01/02/2029
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	Yes
IPD sharing plan summary	Available on request
Publication and dissemination plan	Planned publication in a peer-reviewed journal
IPD sharing plan	The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study will be available upon reasonable request from Lumein Hillewaert (Lumein.Hillewaert@ugent.be)

Editorial Notes

16/09/2025: Study's existence confirmed by ethics committee UZ Ghent.