Parents with infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Mindfulness and relaxation-based interventions are effective in reducing distress in the general postpartum population. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate whether mindfulness and/or relaxation-based interventions reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in NICU parents. A total of five studies met the inclusion criteria and were assessed for quality using the Downs & Black Checklist. The most consistent results in this review suggest that mindfulness and/or relaxation-based interventions may be effective at reducing anxiety symptoms in NICU parents, with moderate to large effect sizes, and show promise in reducing depressive symptoms. The findings show limited potential benefits on parental stress. Methodological weaknesses, heterogeneous intervention factors (including format and length), and varying participant adherence hinder the ability to make strong conclusions. Directions for future research are discussed.

IntroductionWeight loss is hard to achieve and even harder to maintain. Engaging in effortful behavioural change to manage body weight can sometimes result in feelings of guilt and shame. Self‐compassion, the tendency to find kindness for oneself in times of struggle, may facilitate coping with the unique challenges of weight management. This study assessed whether a remotely delivered self‐compassion intervention improved weight management outcomes when delivered as a supplement to an existing digital behavioural weight management programme, Weight Watchers (WW).MethodUsing a mixed‐method study design, 249 adults seeking to manage weight were randomized to either the WW programme or WW supplemented with the self‐compassion for weight management intervention (SC4WM). Participants completed measures of self‐compassion, eating behaviour, physical activity, body weight and emotional well‐being along with potential moderators, including weight self‐stigma, eating restraint, psychological coping and perceived stress at baseline, post‐intervention (4 weeks) and follow‐up (12 weeks).ResultsThere was no evidence that the SC4WM intervention had a significantly different effect than WW alone. Other than body weight, all outcomes improved over time in both groups. Self‐compassion was slightly higher overall in the SC4WM group (p = .05), with this group reporting higher self‐kindness at 4 weeks (p = .014) and lower self‐judgement at 12 weeks (p = .023) compared to the control group.ConclusionsAlthough the SC4WM intervention group did show a small increase in self‐kindness and reduction in self‐judgement, weight management outcomes were not improved over and above the existing WW programme. Recommendations for adapting the SC4WM intervention to improve efficacy to augment weight management outcomes are provided.

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