Using an AI-powered Mobile Application Chatbot to Address Maternal Depression Indicators and Inquiries in the Perinatal and Postpartum Periods: A Multimethod Analysis.
Using AI-powered mobile applications for mental health screening can help reduce maternal mental health disparities among Black mothers who are pregnant or parenting in the United States. A maternal health education question and answer mobile application chatbot has the potential to intervene in the...
| Published in: | Inquiry (00469580) Vol. 63; pp. 1 - 11 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Sage Publications Inc.
1/29/2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=191254455&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 191254455 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00469580 INQ jtl: Inquiry (00469580) issn: 00469580 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: 1/29/2026 vid: 63 pid: 344 pub: Sage Publications Inc. artinfo: ui: 191254455 10.1177/00469580261417580 ppf: 1 ppct: 10 formats: tig: atl: Using an AI-powered Mobile Application Chatbot to Address Maternal Depression Indicators and Inquiries in the Perinatal and Postpartum Periods: A Multimethod Analysis. aug: au: Peters, Carson J. Aldana Lainez, Valerie Clark, Kaili Jasczynski, Michelle Nguyen, Quynh C. Norell, Elizabeth M. affil: University of Maryland, School of Public Health, College Park, MD, USA National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA su: Mobile apps Social constructionism Emotion regulation Fear African Americans Research funding Mental health Focus groups Secondary analysis Artificial intelligence Content analysis Health Questionnaires Postpartum depression Confidence Descriptive statistics Symptom burden Information resources Parenting Anxiety Surveys Thematic analysis Psychology of mothers Research methodology Quality of life Health education Health equity User-centered system design Data analysis software Sociodemographic factors Sleep quality Social support Perinatal period Chatbots Access to information Social stigma Information-seeking behavior Psychosocial factors United States sug: subj: United States Mobile apps Social constructionism Emotion regulation Fear African Americans Research funding Mental health Focus groups Secondary analysis Artificial intelligence Content analysis Health Questionnaires Postpartum depression Confidence Descriptive statistics Symptom burden Information resources Parenting Anxiety Surveys Thematic analysis Psychology of mothers Research methodology Quality of life Health education Health equity User-centered system design Data analysis software Sociodemographic factors Sleep quality Social support Perinatal period Chatbots Access to information Social stigma Information-seeking behavior Psychosocial factors keyword: AI chatbot depression maternal health mental health mobile app smartphone app telehealth ab: Using AI-powered mobile applications for mental health screening can help reduce maternal mental health disparities among Black mothers who are pregnant or parenting in the United States. A maternal health education question and answer mobile application chatbot has the potential to intervene in the maternal depression cascade, specifically screening. Extant research demonstrates the usability of mobile applications addressing mental health. However, limited scholarship explores the intersection between AI-powered mobile application chatbots and maternal mental health. This study uses a multimethod analysis to evaluate the usability of an AI-powered mobile application to address maternal mental health among Black women. Data sources, including mobile application engagement, mental health disorder scales, and secondary qualitative analysis from focus group discussions (n = 5), will be assessed through a multimethod approach. The study team previously collected data across the United States for this clinical intervention in 2022. Findings indicate that the mobile application demonstrated promise in the application's usability to screen for maternal health depression indicators. This was achieved using the mobile application's intent classification functionality that classified users' questions that contained targeted search terms (e.g., postpartum depression) or specific inquiries about mental health and appropriate follow-up from the study team to provide mental health resources. Critical interconnected themes were assessed and reflected high confidence, acceptance, and usability of the mobile application in addressing maternal mental health inquiries. Findings contribute to evidence about the usability of AI-powered mobile applications informed by Black mothers in appropriate screening for maternal depression indicators and inquiries. This study provides insight into closing the gap in maternal health disparities in depression outcomes for Black mothers. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06053515; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06053515. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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