Davis Paige E, Kola-Palmer Susanna
Department of Psychology, Leeds University, Woodhouse, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
Department of Social and Psychological Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, HD1 3DH, UK.
BMC Psychol. 2025 Mar 23;13(1):291. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02578-3.
Parenthood is a key transition period which involve emotional, social and physical adjustments. Social prescribing is a method that connects people to community-based activities, groups, and services to addressing various needs impacting their health and wellbeing. This pilot investigation aimed to assess whether a curated socially prescribed creative play programme would impact upon new parents' social connection, mental health and reflective function through a programme designed to support these changes.
This study was part of a 5-week long socially prescribed creative play programme at a family theatre company in the North of England, aimed at providing social capital to families while teaching creative play. In total, 57 parents (M = 30.73, SD = 6.20) completed baseline and post-intervention measures of birth trauma experiences (City Birth Trauma Scale), postnatal depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) reflective function (Reflective Functioning Questionnaire), and qualitative, open-ended questions on social opportunities. Descriptive analyses were completed using t-tests and chi-square tests, while repeated measures ANOVAs were used to answer questions around the main analyses.
The participants experienced a statistically significant reduction in postnatal depression scores following the intervention, but no changes were found in reflective function or birth trauma scores; secondly, birth trauma scores predicted later depression scores as well as reflective functioning uncertainty scores (but not certainty scores). Qualitative analysis found social opportunities were not why parents came but was, after attending, their favourite part of the socially prescribed programme. Those parents reporting on social opportunities were more likely to reference their own needs while non-social activities were associated with their child's needs.
Socially prescribed creative play programmes for new parents could be a "waiting well" intervention. A longer duration and trauma informed focus would need to be considered in future cohorts.
为人父母是一个关键的过渡时期，涉及情感、社会和身体方面的调整。社会处方是一种将人们与基于社区的活动、团体和服务联系起来的方法，以满足影响他们健康和幸福的各种需求。这项试点调查旨在评估一个精心策划的社会处方创意游戏项目是否会通过一个旨在支持这些变化的项目，对新父母的社会联系、心理健康和反思功能产生影响。
本研究是在英格兰北部一家家庭剧院公司进行的为期5周的社会处方创意游戏项目的一部分，旨在为家庭提供社会资本，同时教授创意游戏。共有57名父母（M = 30.73，SD = 6.20）完成了出生创伤经历（城市出生创伤量表）、产后抑郁（爱丁堡产后抑郁量表）、反思功能（反思功能问卷）的基线和干预后测量，以及关于社会机会的定性、开放式问题。使用t检验和卡方检验进行描述性分析，同时使用重复测量方差分析来回答围绕主要分析的问题。
干预后，参与者的产后抑郁得分在统计学上有显著降低，但反思功能或出生创伤得分没有变化；其次，出生创伤得分预测了后期的抑郁得分以及反思功能不确定性得分（但不是确定性得分）。定性分析发现，社会机会不是父母前来的原因，但在参加后，是他们最喜欢的社会处方项目的一部分。那些报告社会机会的父母更有可能提及自己的需求，而非社会活动则与孩子的需求相关。
为新父母制定的社会处方创意游戏项目可能是一种“等待良好”的干预措施。未来的队列研究需要考虑更长的持续时间和以创伤为导向的重点。
