Mental health care is important for everyone, especially
teenagers. However, seeking mental health
services may be challenging for teenagers, particularly
when they are also parents. Offering
mental health care in a safe, attractive and easily
accessible manner, such as primary care, increases
the chances that teenage parents will receive help.
Comprehensive care models need to be established
to address the many needs that at-risk young
mothers and their children face. There are a number
of programmes available to teenage mothers
that either address healthcare and psychosocial
needs or focus primarily on improvements in
parenting skills; yet an integrated model that
delivers medical, psychiatric and psychosocial
care and facilitates positive parenting skills seems
to be missing. Through a university–community
partnership we have recently developed a model
curriculum – the Mom Power (MP) group programme
– at the University of Michigan which
aims to close this gap in service delivery. We
elaborate on core elements and key features of
this 10-week group intervention programme for
high-risk teenage mothers and their children, and
present preliminary outcomes data. Analyses on
the first 24 MP group graduates suggest that
despite ongoing life trauma during the intervention
period, teenage mothers show improvements
in depression and post-traumatic stress
disorder symptoms post intervention, and also
self-rate as less guilty and shameful regarding
their parenting skills after programme completion.
Although preliminary, due to design and
statistical limitations, these results show promise
regarding feasibility and effectiveness of this integrated
approach for teenage mothers with young
children delivered through primary care.
Mental health care is important for everyone, especiallyteenagers. However, seeking mental healthservices may be challenging for teenagers, particularlywhen they are also parents. Offeringmental health care in a safe, attractive and easilyaccessible manner, such as primary care, increasesthe chances that teenage parents will receive help.Comprehensive care models need to be establishedto address the many needs that at-risk youngmothers and their children face. There are a numberof programmes available to teenage mothersthat either address healthcare and psychosocialneeds or focus primarily on improvements inparenting skills; yet an integrated model thatdelivers medical, psychiatric and psychosocialcare and facilitates positive parenting skills seemsto be missing. Through a university–communitypartnership we have recently developed a modelcurriculum – the Mom Power (MP) group programme– at the University of Michigan whichaims to close this gap in service delivery. Weelaborate on core elements and key features ofthis 10-week group intervention programme forhigh-risk teenage mothers and their children, andpresent preliminary outcomes data. Analyses onthe first 24 MP group graduates suggest thatdespite ongoing life trauma during the interventionperiod, teenage mothers show improvementsin depression and post-traumatic stressdisorder symptoms post intervention, and alsoself-rate as less guilty and shameful regardingtheir parenting skills after programme completion.Although preliminary, due to design andstatistical limitations, these results show promiseregarding feasibility and effectiveness of this integratedapproach for teenage mothers with youngchildren delivered through primary care.
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