Digital health interventions to improve the journey from pregnancy to parenthood: a scoping review

Most children in Germany are born in maternity hospitals. These hospitals provide a convenient and accessible option for parents without stigmatization (Scharmanski & Renner, 2019). Within these facilities, healthcare professionals are able to identify early signs of parental stress, educational needs, and available resources. Pregnant women and their families, especially those facing chronic illnesses or challenging life situations, often have a high demand for information and counseling. The pregnancy period and the transition to parenthood can exacerbate these circumstances, leaving families particularly vulnerable (Deave et al., 2008). Coping with mental health issues and stressful situations presents a significant challenge in this context. Numerous studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic have reported an increase in mental health problems during pregnancy, including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic symptoms, as well as a decline in the quality of prenatal care (Moise et al., 2023). Consequently, healthcare professionals play a significant role in guiding parents from maternity hospitals to additional social and health networks, offering support throughout the antenatal period, particularly during the transition to parenthood and the development of parenting skills. This scoping review will describe how digital health interventions aimed at improving support for parents in the areas of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood in peer-reviewed literature. We will map the similarities and gaps in the literature to establish a clearer understanding of digital health interventions to support pregnant women and their families in the transition from pregnancy to early parenthood. The scoping review will be conducted, including scientific publications in English and German language published from 2008. A systematic database search will performed in MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore Digital Library, ScienceDirect and PsycINFO. Title/Abstract and the full-text of results from the database search will screened independently by two authors to finally select the studies.