HMN 2026: How Social media could help fight perinatal mental challenges

A new study shows how social media can be an important weapon in combating perinatal depression and anxiety in rural areas if it is carefully designed and misinformation is rooted out. James Cook University Senior Research Fellow Dr. Sam Teague and student researcher Kacey Lynch led the study, which has been published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Teague said perinatal depression and anxiety, mental health conditions affecting women during pregnancy and the first year after birth, are significant public health concerns.

“We see up to one in five women affected globally, with a disproportionate burden carried by women in regional, rural and remote communities,” Teague said.

“Access to support is severely constrained in these places by geographic isolation, workforce shortages, financial barriers and a lack of culturally safe services.”

She said digital mental health support holds promise, but few existing services are co-designed with the communities they aim to serve, limiting their relevance and effectiveness.

Lynch said the team sought out perinatal mothers and mental health professionals living in North Queensland and asked them what was needed.

“Five core mental health needs were identified—social connection and support, personalized and respectful health care, empowering information, place-based and culturally safe support, and accessible, low-burden digital formats,” she said.

“People viewed social media as a potentially useful platform for fostering peer connection, normalizing perinatal experiences and providing timely education. However, both mothers and professionals expressed concerns about misinformation, harmful social comparison and privacy risks.”

Teague said the findings show social media, already widely used by new and expectant mothers, can serve as an acceptable and accessible platform for preventive mental health support.

“We’re reaching women where they are, with a format they are comfortable using and connecting directly, rather than accessing national services that may lack relevance in our region,” Teague said.

“We need to make sure the interventions are shaped by community priorities, grounded in a clear understanding of platform capabilities and designed with explicit safeguards to manage known risks.”

She said the plan now is to develop a digital prototype integrating evidence-based psychological techniques, improve it further with community consultation, and then conduct a pilot trial in the target population.

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