Planning a Perinatal Mental Health Intervention for a Post-Disaster Rural Community: Caregivers' and Women's...

Area of Science:

• Perinatal Mental Health
• Disaster Mental Health
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Vulnerable pregnant women face significant mental health challenges, exacerbated by disasters.
• Hurricane Ida impacted Louisiana's rural Bayou Region, necessitating targeted maternal support.
• Prenatal anxiety requires effective interventions, especially in post-disaster settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the applicability of the Mentors Offering Maternal Support (M-O-M-S™) intervention for pregnant women in rural Louisiana post-Hurricane Ida.
• To understand the specific mental health needs of women and care providers in a disaster-affected rural region.
• To lay the groundwork for a project enhancing maternal mental health following a natural disaster.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of post-disaster interviews with 22 perinatal/community care providers and 20 pregnant/postpartum women.
• Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes in caregiver and patient experiences.
• Implementation science principles guided data collection for project design.

Main Results:

• Caregivers identified themes including pre-existing vulnerabilities, universal mental health impacts of disasters, proactive care modification, and a critical need for the M-O-M-S™ intervention.
• Women expressed needs related to surviving disruptions, requiring emotional support, persevering, and valuing the M-O-M-S™ intervention as a source of companionship.
• Both groups highlighted the necessity and suitability of the M-O-M-S™ program in the post-disaster context.

Conclusions:

• The Mentors Offering Maternal Support (M-O-M-S™) intervention is applicable and highly needed for supporting maternal mental health in rural Louisiana post-Hurricane Ida.
• Qualitative findings provide a strong foundation for designing and implementing this intervention to address prenatal anxiety and improve outcomes for vulnerable women.
• This study underscores the importance of tailored, supportive interventions in disaster-affected communities to bolster maternal mental well-being.