“A Judgment-Free Zone”: Adaptation and Pilot Study of a Virtual Wellness Group for African American Mothers with Young Children

Kimberly M. Brooks (), Dominique Charlot-Swilley, Hillary A. Robertson, Nia Bodrick, Aimee L. Danielson, Marta Genovez, Claire Boogaard, Sydney Morris, Sanyukta Deshmukh, Lauren Kiker, Olukemi Green and Huynh-Nhu Le
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Kimberly M. Brooks: Children’s National Hospital, 1 Inventa Place 5th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Dominique Charlot-Swilley: Department of Psychiatry, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 20007, USA
Hillary A. Robertson: Department of Psychiatry, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 20007, USA
Nia Bodrick: Children’s National Hospital, 1 Inventa Place 5th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Aimee L. Danielson: Department of Psychiatry, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 20007, USA
Marta Genovez: Children’s National Hospital, 1 Inventa Place 5th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Claire Boogaard: Children’s National Hospital, 1 Inventa Place 5th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Sydney Morris: Department of Psychology, Palo Alto University, Palo Alto, CA 94308, USA
Sanyukta Deshmukh: Children’s National Hospital, 1 Inventa Place 5th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Lauren Kiker: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20013, USA
Olukemi Green: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20013, USA
Huynh-Nhu Le: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20013, USA

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly challenging for the mental health of African American (AA) birthing people. The pandemic necessitated shifting mental health care to online interventions. The goals of this study were to (1) describe an adapted evidence-based group preventive intervention for AA mothers with young children within a pediatric setting and (2) evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of this virtual intervention. Phase 1 describes the adaptation of the HealthySteps Mom’s Virtual Wellness Group, including eight weekly sessions based on the Mothers and Babies Course. Phase 2 was a mixed-methods, pre–post intervention design. Six AA mothers with young children completed questionnaires related to depression, anxiety, and parenting competence at three time points: pre-intervention (T1), post-intervention (T2), and 3 months post-intervention (T3). The participants also completed a focus group post-T2 to gather qualitative feedback regarding the intervention. The median scores for depression were lower at T2 and increased at T3, and for anxiety, they increased at T2 and decreased at T3. The median scores for parenting competence increased across the three time points. The participants attended a mean of 7.2 sessions (SD = 0.74). The qualitative results indicate that the participants gained a sense of empowerment, enjoyed connecting with other mothers, and acquired information. This pilot study suggests that a virtual intervention is feasible, acceptable, and can increase parenting competence and support among AA mothers with young children.

Keywords: perinatal depression/anxiety; prevention; African Americans; mixed methods; pediatric (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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