Mental Health in All Settings: Preventing Postpartum Depression in Latina Mothers Attending Early Learning Centers

Claudia S.P. Fernandez

A chapter in From Clinical Practice to Public Health Applications - The Successful, Sustainable and Scalable Outcomes of the Clinical Scholars Program from IntechOpen

Abstract: Rates of postpartum depression are up to three times higher for Latina mothers than for the general population due to a range of factors, including poverty, discrimination, high rates of food insecurity, and limited social support. Our Clinical Scholars team addressed the Wicked Problem of depression risk and food insecurity among immigrant Latinas in Baltimore, Maryland. We partnered with early learning "Judy Centers" serving young children and their parents and implemented the Mothers and Babies program, an evidence-based preventive intervention for postpartum depression. The initial program development for Latinas and suitability for a range of facilitators made it an excellent fit. The COVID-19 pandemic caused us to adapt the intervention for virtual group delivery, incorporate additional child health-related content, and offer help with applying for nutrition assistance programs. Sixty-two women from three Judy Centers in Baltimore attended the first four virtual cohorts, each cohort being offered 11 sessions of training and group work. Attendance and satisfaction with sessions were high, and participants had significant reductions in depressive symptoms and parenting distress along with increases in self-efficacy to manage negative emotions. Our success in Baltimore City led to a statewide expansion of the program and the training of 90 staff members to deliver the Mothers and Babies intervention. Trainees came from 47 different Judy Centers representing 20 of Maryland's 24 jurisdictions. We secured additional funding to rigorously test the effectiveness of the virtual group interven¬tion and understand how best to support early learning centers in implementing and sustaining the program.

Keywords: Latino; mothers; mental health; depression; Clinical Scholars (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ito:pchaps:330917

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.115587

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