More About Current AIMSS Study
Two 缅北禁地 professors recently received a $498,000 multi-year renewal grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to fund the continuation of their examination of CenteringPregnancy. Associate Professor of Psychology Betty-Shannon Prevatt, Ph.D., and Associate Professor of Child Development Pamela Norcross, Ph.D., are the co-primary investigators (PIs) on this project. Through this project, they will gather online survey data and focus group insights from participants at 6 and 12 months postpartum, respectively, to examine how CenteringPregnancy impacted the participants’ postpartum mental health and early parenting behaviors.
The NIMH is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Meredith鈥檚 project is one of 20 to be funded. Through their project, Advancing Insight into Maternal Social Support (AIMSS), Norcross and Prevatt will explore how social support interventions during pregnancy affect occurrence of postpartum mood disorders (PPMD).
About The Current Study
Postpartum mood disorders (PPMD) affect 8-13% of new mothers, with another 16-23% experiencing elevated symptomology throughout the infant鈥檚 first year of life. A variety of interventions for PPMD exist, including pharmacological and psychosocial treatments such as social support. Existing research on the advantages of social support programs for new mothers鈥� mental health has been limited to the postpartum period only. As such, the benefits of social support programs during pregnancy on postpartum mental health have not been established, and little is known about the conditions under which these programs may affect PPMDs and early parenting strategies.
It is essential to link the importance of early social support during pregnancy with the potential to affect postpartum outcomes in new mothers. While CP offers a potential example of an effective group-based prenatal care model, the literature examining its effect on postpartum mental health and early parenting behaviors is insufficient. Thus, the primary purpose of this project is to examine the associations between prenatal group social support and maternal mental health, testing effects of CP as a clinical intervention on relevant postpartum and early parenting outcomes, while also incorporating Undergraduate Research Assistants (URAs) in all aspects of research.
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As faculty members in psychology and child development, Dr. Prevatt and Dr. Norcross bring the perspectives of their disciplines to the project. With its focus on mental health and parenting, their research fills an important gap in what is currently understood about maternal mental health and early parenting behaviors.
The project will continue examining pre-existing data collected during the initial AIMSS Study to determine the conditions under which the CP model versus prenatal Care-as-Usual (CAU) affects maternal mental health, parenting, and delivery outcomes.
The project will also gather new data from mothers who received CP prenatal care. Mothers will be asked to complete an online survey at 6 months postpartum. Some will also be asked to participate in an online focus group. Using a qualitative design and grounded theory, the researchers will be able to better understand participant experiences and generate new insights into how prenatal group social support influences early parenting efficacy and maternal mental health.
Throughout the entire project, the PIs will collaborate with URAs while mentoring and instructing them in research concepts and processes as they relate to the CP model, maternal mental health, and relevant outcomes. Additionally, the project will seek to expand and strengthen the undergraduate research program at the institutional level.听
About the Current NIMH Grant
This project at 缅北禁地 is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one of the National Institutes of Health, through an Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) for Undergraduate Focused Institutions under Award Number R15MH126403-02. The purpose of AREA funding is to support small scale research grants at institutions that do not receive substantial funding from the National Institutes of Health, with an emphasis on providing biomedical research experiences primarily for undergraduate students, and enhancing the research environment at these applicant institutions.
Relevant Publications
Crank, A., Norcross, P., & Prevatt, B.S. (2024, July).听Social Support and Participant Characteristics as Predictors for CenteringPregnancy Participation. [Poster presentation] Postpartum Support International Conference, Washington, D.C.
Jacoby, C., Norcross, P., Prevatt, B.S., Rade, C. (2024, July).听A QuantCrit Approach to Postpartum Depression Scores. [Poster presentation] Postpartum Support International Conference, Washington, D.C.
Nordgren, I.,Norcross, P., & Prevatt, B.S. (2024, July).听Associations with infant birthweight and trust in US physicians during pregnancy. [Poster presentation] International Congress of Infant Studies, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Norcross, P. L., Maleki, R., Prevatt, B.S. (March, 2023).听Maternal听Depression听and Screening Effectiveness: Role of Prenatal Group Social Support. [Poster presentation] Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD). Salt Lake City, Utah.听
Norcross, P.L., & Prevatt, B.S. (March, 2023).听Strengthening UndergraduateResearch Assistants: Role of Supportive Pedagogy. [Poster presentation] Developmental Science Teaching Institute; Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD), Salt Lake City, Utah.
Maleki, R.*, Prevatt, B.-S., Norcross, P.L., & Frye, P. (2022, Nov. 8).听Suicidal ideation during the antepartum and postpartum period. American Public Health Association annual meeting, Boston, MA.
Marroquin-Aparicio, J.*, Frye, P., Prevatt, B.-S., & Norcross, P.L. (2022, Nov. 8).听Examining pre-pandemic and COVID-19-era postpartum mental health. American Public Health Association annual meeting, Boston, MA.
Prevatt, B.-S., Norcross, P.L., & Perkins, H. (2022, July 7-11).听Importance of patient-provider racial minority concordance in postpartum depression screening.听[Poster presentation] International Congress on Infant Studies (ICIS) annual conference, Ottowa, Canada.
Norcross, P.L., Prevatt, B.-S., & Perkins, H. (2022, July 7-11).听Prenatal group care as a facilitator of maternal mental health screening.听[Poster presentation] International Congress on Infant Studies (ICIS) annual conference, Ottowa, Canada.
Marroquin-Aparicio, J.*, Norcross, P.L., Prevatt, B.-S., & Perkins, H. (2022, July 7-11).听Risk of prenatal depression and anxiety symptoms on birth outcomes: Role of maternal race and SES.听[Poster presentation] International Congress on Infant Studies (ICIS) annual conference, Ottowa, Canada.