{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T08:15:31Z","timestamp":1788509731794,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785715200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":2,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"American Yale-China Association Community Health Service Project","award":["2023YC01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023YC01"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["82272924"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["82272924"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Perinatal mental health problems are prevalent during pregnancy and the postpartum period and can have substantial consequences for both mothers and infants. Chatbot-based interventions represent a promising and scalable approach to perinatal mental health support. However, the evidence base remains heterogeneous and has not been systematically mapped. This scoping review aims to synthesise existing research on chatbot-based interventions for perinatal mental health, focusing on study characteristics, intervention features, outcomes and implementation challenges.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods and analysis<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This scoping review protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses Protocols guidelines. A systematic search will be conducted from database inception to May 2026 to identify quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods studies focusing on chatbot-based interventions for perinatal mental health. Two reviewers will independently screen studies and extract data, with discrepancies resolved through discussion or consultation with a third reviewer. Data will be synthesised descriptively.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Ethics and dissemination<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study is based on publicly available literature and does not require ethical approval. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications and presented at academic conferences related to perinatal and child health and digital health.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2025-116106","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T12:05:55Z","timestamp":1785758755000},"page":"e116106","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The application of chatbots in perinatal mental health interventions: a scoping review protocol"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0834-082X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zhixiang","family":"Huang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0439-4169","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guiyuan","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qiming","family":"Ding","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dianyi","family":"Dai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-4930-4333","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ying","family":"Ye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ya","family":"Shi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing, Shandong Xiehe University, Jinan, Shandong, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5135-822X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Can","family":"Gu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/wps.20769"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2023.43711","article-title":"Prevalence of Perinatal Anxiety and Related Disorders in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","volume":"6","author":"Roddy Mitchell","year":"2023","journal-title":"JAMA Netw Open"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cpr.2020.101932"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4088\/JCP.17r12011","article-title":"Maternal Anxiety During Pregnancy and the Association With Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","volume":"79","author":"Grigoriadis","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Clin Psychiatry"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cpr.2022.102129"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.earlhumdev.2020.105243"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1082","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapediatrics.2020.2910","article-title":"Association Between Maternal Perinatal Depression and Anxiety and Child and Adolescent Development: A Meta-analysis","volume":"174","author":"Rogers","year":"2020","journal-title":"JAMA Pediatr"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.8","unstructured":"World Health Organization Guide for integration of perinatal mental health in maternal and child health services: world health organization. 2022."},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.9","unstructured":"National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) . Antenatal and postnatal mental health: clinical guideline. Available: https:\/\/www.nice.org.uk\/guidance\/cg192\/chapter\/1-recommendations [Accessed 24 Nov 2021]."},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2019.0007"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/AOG.0000000000002927"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"136","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cpr.2018.06.004","article-title":"Treatment of depression, anxiety, and trauma-related disorders during the perinatal period: A systematic review","volume":"66","author":"Nillni","year":"2018","journal-title":"Clin Psychol Rev"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"498","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapsychiatry.2020.4556","article-title":"Implementation and Effectiveness of Nonspecialist-Delivered Interventions for Perinatal Mental Health in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis","volume":"78","author":"Singla","year":"2021","journal-title":"JAMA Psychiatry"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1457","DOI":"10.1007\/s10995-017-2263-6","article-title":"Stigma and Postpartum Depression Treatment Acceptability Among Black and White Women in the First Six-Months Postpartum","volume":"21","author":"Bodnar-Deren","year":"2017","journal-title":"Matern Child Health J"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-023-05323-5","article-title":"Women\u2019s awareness of perinatal mental health conditions and the acceptability of being asked about mental health in two regions in India: a qualitative study","volume":"23","author":"Fellmeth","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"215","DOI":"10.4103\/ijsp.ijsp_117_23","article-title":"\u201cIf They Don\u2019t Ask, We Don\u2019t Share\u201d \u2013 A Qualitative Study on Barriers and Facilitators to Discussing Mental Health with Obstetric Care Providers in Urban Anganwadis among Pregnant Women in India","volume":"39","author":"Shanbhag","year":"2023","journal-title":"Indian J Soc Psychiatry"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"521","DOI":"10.1016\/S2215-0366(20)30467-3","article-title":"Barriers and facilitators to implementing perinatal mental health care in health and social care settings: a systematic review","volume":"8","author":"Webb","year":"2021","journal-title":"The Lancet Psychiatry"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2022-066703","article-title":"Meta-review of the barriers and facilitators to women accessing perinatal mental healthcare","volume":"13","author":"Webb","year":"2023","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"2026090400400815000_16.8.e116106.19","unstructured":"2022 IEEE 3rd international conference on electronics, control, optimization and computer science (icecocs) . 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