173
Posters Advancing Comprehensive Early Childhood Intervention
Session 3
HEALTH Topic - Mental Health
3.23 Improving Infant Mental Health Home Visiting Training Curriculum to Strengthen Cultural Responsiveness and Equitable Service Delivery: A Quality Improvement Project Presenting Author: Chioma Torres (USA) Affiliation: Michigan State University Co-Authors: Helenia Quince, Jessica Riggs, Kate Rosenblum, Vivian L. Tamkin, Tova Walsh Infant Mental Health Home Visiting (IMH-HV) is a needs-driven, relationship-based home visiting intervention with demonstrated positive outcomes for parents and young children. Prior research found that higher therapeutic alliance (TA) was associated with improved program retention and provider race affected TA and retention for clients. The objective of this quality improvement project was to inform improvements to IMH-HV provider training to better prepare providers to effectively engage and support diverse families. Focus groups or individual interviews were completed with 18 providers and 7 clients (parents/caregivers). Participants self-selected into one of three groups offered separately to providers and clients: White identifying, Black identifying and non-specified identity groups. A racially diverse, interdisciplinary team facilitated focus groups and interviews and conducted thematic analysis of the data. Analysis identified barriers and opportunities for effective engagement of clients: when providers and clients are of different racial/ethnic backgrounds, provider attempts to forge a connection may make families feel ‘othered’; providers may not see their racial identity as salient, yet it influences their practice and the establishment of rapport with families; patience, tolerating discomfort, and allowing a family to determine whether the provider can be trusted are key. Effective IMH-HV practice with clients of diverse backgrounds requires a high level of self-understanding on the part of providers. Enhancing training to promote deeper consideration of both the perspectives of diverse clients and the salience of one’s own identity has potential to reduce barriers to TA, improve program retention, and address health disparities.
p3.24 Opportunities to Address Mental Health of Black/African American Fathers in the Perinatal Period Presenting Author: Chioma Torres (USA) Affiliation: Michigan State University Co-Authors: Anthony Nixon, Alvin Thomas, Tova Walsh
Fathers are an essential supporter of the mental health of mothers during the perinatal period. Prior research reveals supportive Black/African American (AA) fathers are a protective factor for adverse outcomes due to systemic inequities for Black/AA mothers. This is a mixed methods study using a survey of 75 fathers and focus groups with a subset of fathers. Fathers identified as Black/African American, lived in Milwaukee, WI, USA, and were either expecting a baby or parent to an infant. A racially diverse, interdisciplinary team conducted thematic analysis of the data to gain insight into father’s interactions with the medical field, stressors identified by fathers, and barriers or effective engagements of care. Fathers were mostly aged 18 to 34 years old (79%) and 58% reported depressive symptoms in the severe range. Themes identified for Black/AA fathers are an increase in stress and a need for a strong support system, challenges reflecting their own needs to ask for help, and feeling they are not addressed in the room by the medical provider during perinatal visits.
p3.25 Scaling Parent Emotional Well-Being Approaches in Early Intervention Presenting Author: Kathleen Baggett (USA)
Affiliation: Georgia State University Co-Authors: Laura Saddi; Ava Shivar
Results of 3 experimental studies are presented to provide a compelling case for embedding evidence-based parent mental health interventions into parent mediated approaches for infants/toddlers. Parent mediated interventions are often inaccessible to parents who are experiencing high distress and whose infants are at highest risk for poor developmental outcomes. We highlight the infusion of highly effective parent mental health promotion approaches and their effects on optimizing parent mood and engagement in parent mediated interventions targeting infant social-emotional development in 3 different study populations: (1) 1420 mothers who participated in an app-based intervention (BeAMom) embedded into well baby care to treat and protect against maternal depression postpartum; (2) 180 minoritized mothers with depression during COVID who participated in an app-based remote coaching intervention (Mom & Baby Net) targeting mother-infant social-emotional health and development; (3) minoritized mothers and infants who had a sibling with autism, participating in Mom & Baby Net.
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