Maternal and child health journal
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Matern Child Health J · May 2020
Mothers' Perceptions of Quality of Family-Centered Care and Environmental Stressors in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: Predictors of and Relationships with Psycho-emotional Outcomes and Postpartum Attachment.
Maternal attachment to promote role development in mothers of preterm infants is critical for babies' optimal growth and development. However, few models specify how neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and their environments work to foster postpartum attachment (PPA) after preterm birth. We investigated relationships of quality of family-centered care and NICU environmental stressors with maternal PPA, to determine whether these are mediated by mothers' psycho-emotional response and whether pathways to PPA are moderated by developmental immaturity (gestation, birthweight). ⋯ Healthcare professionals should be aware of the importance of family-centered interventions focusing on psychosocial support and family participation in baby care, based on their environmental role in promoting PPA.
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Matern Child Health J · Oct 2020
Mechanisms Through Which a Family Caregiver Coaching Intervention Might Reduce Anxiety Among Children in Military Households.
Children of injured or disabled veterans and service members may be at risk for mental health and adjustment problems due to household stress. Yet, there are few widely available interventions to address the needs of this population. Reducing distress and improving coping skills of the parent who cares for the injured or disabled adult may improve child outcomes. This paper examines whether changes in caregiver psychosocial outcomes after a caregiver coaching intervention are associated with decreases in child anxiety. ⋯ Family caregiver-focused interventions that decrease caregiver stress may positively affect children in the household. Few resources are directed at military children; therefore, practitioners should consider ways to leverage caregiver interventions to address child well-being, such as incorporating information on parenting strategies and addressing issues faced by military children.
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Matern Child Health J · Jul 2020
Racial Disparities in Prenatal Care Utilization and Infant Small for Gestational Age Among Active Duty US Military Women.
To examine racial disparities in prenatal care (PNC) utilization and infant small for gestational age (SGA) among active duty US military women, a population with equal access to health care and known socioeconomic status. ⋯ In multiple assessments of PNC utilization and infant SGA, non-Hispanic Black military women had consistently worse outcomes than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. This suggests that equal access to health care does not eliminate racial disparities in outcomes or utilization; additional research is needed to elucidate the underlying etiology of these disparities.
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Matern Child Health J · Apr 2020
Stressful Life Events Among New Mothers in Georgia: Variation by Race, Ethnicity and Nativity.
Prior research has identified psychosocial stress as a risk factor for adverse maternal and infant outcomes for non-Hispanic Black and White women. However, whether psychosocial stress differs in its profile and association with preterm birth across diverse racial-ethnic-nativity groups in the Southeast remains unexamined. Both foreign-born and Hispanic women represent important proportions of new mothers in many Southeastern states. The objective of this paper is to describe the prevalence of categories of prenatal life events among Georgia mothers, the variation across race, ethnicity and nativity, and the association of prenatal stress with prevalence of preterm birth. ⋯ Prenatal and preconception stress were common among women who gave birth between 2012 and 2015 in Georgia and may have implications for preterm and postpartum maternal mental health.
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Matern Child Health J · Jul 2018
Factors that Influence Parental Misperception of Their Child's Actual Weight Status in South Carolina.
Objectives Studies suggest that parents tend to misperceive their child's actual weight status and typically underestimate their child's weight. Since few studies examine the factors that influence parental misperception, this study aims to assess the influence of parent and child factors with parental misperception of their child's actual weight status who were either at their recommended weight or overweight/obese in South Carolina in 2013 and 2014. Methods Secondary data were obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Children's Health Assessment Survey (CHAS) in 2013 and 2014 in SC. ⋯ Results In the adjusted multivariate analysis, only child's age was significantly and positively associated with parental misperception of their child's actual weight status. Conclusions for Practice This cross sectional analysis showed an association between child's age and parental misperception of child's actual weight status. It is essential to educate parents about their children's weight status, especially among young children.