Abstract: Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of emotional management training during pregnancy based on Mindfulness Monitoring and Acceptance Theory and test its effects on anxiety, depression and emotional self-efficacy. Methods: Totally 124 pregnant women were induded from May 2018 to February 2019, and were randomly assigned into experimental group or control group, 62 cases in each group. The control group received health education and emotional management courses provided by psychological counselors without mindfulness related education and practice, while the experimental group received health education and online emotional management training focusing on mindfulness attention and acceptance. Before and after the intervention, the score of General Anxiety Scale (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (RESE) were compared between two groups. The feelings, experiences and mastery of mindfulness skills of the experimental group were investigated through interviews. Results: The score of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 significantly decreased after intervention in the experimental group compared with control group (P<0.05), while the RESE scores significantly increased after intervention compared with control group (P<0.05). Participants can basically master mindfulness skills to regulate emotions, but there were still some obstacles during intervention period. Conclusion: Emotional management training based on Mindfulness Monitoring and Acceptance Theory can effectively alleviate anxiety and depression of pregnant women and improve self-efficacy in regulating negative emotions.

Key words: mindfulness; emotional management; pregnancy; anxiety; depression; regulatory emotional self-efficacy