Start Date
4-11-2011 8:30 AM
End Date
4-11-2011 3:30 PM
Description
Background
Untreated perinatal depression is common and has deleterious effects on mother, fetus/child and family
- Despite effective evidence-based treatment for perinatal depression, most women do not get treatment
- Obstetricians have not traditionally identified and/or responded to the mental health needs of perinatal women
- Caring and committed providers are frustrated and confused5 and mothers do not feel seen, heard or understood by their providers
- Implementing supports for perinatal women within the traditional medical model poses many challenges to mental health and obstetric providers
MotherWoman is a community-based grassroots organization dedicated to preventing and treating perinatal depression through an innovative organizational change approach, the Community-Based Perinatal Support Model (CPSM). This model includes:
- Peer-led support groups for perinatal women
- Organizational change interventions that include structured screening and referral, health care provider trainings and networks, and resource and referral guides
Methods
Participants
Four focus groups with MotherWoman clients, 3 months – 3 years postpartum who self-identified as having experienced perinatal depression or emotional crisis
Data collection
- Focus group probes targeted perceptions of the best practices to engage perinatal women in depression treatment and potential strategies for change
- Investigators met after each group to record observations and review verbatim notes
- Participants received gift cards for their participation
Data analysis
- Transcripts were reviewed, segmented, and coded by investigators using an iterative, constant-comparative process to identify emerging themes and recurrent patterns
- Inter-rater reliability of more than 90% was achieved by two investigators comparing randomly selected coded pages from focus group notes
Discussion
- Despite barriers, numerous facilitators to treatment were identified
- Supporting women’s mental health during the perinatal time period should ideally be done in both the medical setting and community
- Supporting the mental health of perinatal women is a fundamental challenge with multiple opportunities for intervention and education
- Strategies to address perinatal depression include:
- Offer training to OB/Gyn and mental health providers in the detection and screening of perinatal depression
- Prepare women for the postpartum period through psychoeducation and peer-support
- Create flexible treatment options that go beyond medication management and emphasize transition to motherhood
Results will
- Contribute to understanding the barriers and facilitators perinatal women experience when trying to access depression treatment
- Provide preliminary guidelines for the development of strategies to engage perinatal women in depression treatment
- Inform the development of interventions that aim to integrate the treatment of perinatal depression into medical settings
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Overcoming Barriers to Perinatal Depression Treatment
Background
Untreated perinatal depression is common and has deleterious effects on mother, fetus/child and family
- Despite effective evidence-based treatment for perinatal depression, most women do not get treatment
- Obstetricians have not traditionally identified and/or responded to the mental health needs of perinatal women
- Caring and committed providers are frustrated and confused5 and mothers do not feel seen, heard or understood by their providers
- Implementing supports for perinatal women within the traditional medical model poses many challenges to mental health and obstetric providers
MotherWoman is a community-based grassroots organization dedicated to preventing and treating perinatal depression through an innovative organizational change approach, the Community-Based Perinatal Support Model (CPSM). This model includes:
- Peer-led support groups for perinatal women
- Organizational change interventions that include structured screening and referral, health care provider trainings and networks, and resource and referral guides
Methods
Participants
Four focus groups with MotherWoman clients, 3 months – 3 years postpartum who self-identified as having experienced perinatal depression or emotional crisis
Data collection
- Focus group probes targeted perceptions of the best practices to engage perinatal women in depression treatment and potential strategies for change
- Investigators met after each group to record observations and review verbatim notes
- Participants received gift cards for their participation
Data analysis
- Transcripts were reviewed, segmented, and coded by investigators using an iterative, constant-comparative process to identify emerging themes and recurrent patterns
- Inter-rater reliability of more than 90% was achieved by two investigators comparing randomly selected coded pages from focus group notes
Discussion
- Despite barriers, numerous facilitators to treatment were identified
- Supporting women’s mental health during the perinatal time period should ideally be done in both the medical setting and community
- Supporting the mental health of perinatal women is a fundamental challenge with multiple opportunities for intervention and education
- Strategies to address perinatal depression include:
- Offer training to OB/Gyn and mental health providers in the detection and screening of perinatal depression
- Prepare women for the postpartum period through psychoeducation and peer-support
- Create flexible treatment options that go beyond medication management and emphasize transition to motherhood
Results will
- Contribute to understanding the barriers and facilitators perinatal women experience when trying to access depression treatment
- Provide preliminary guidelines for the development of strategies to engage perinatal women in depression treatment
- Inform the development of interventions that aim to integrate the treatment of perinatal depression into medical settings