Co-development of an empowerment toolkit: A collaborative approach to promote maternal mental health
Saima Hirani1, Shams M F Al-Anzi1, Rishika Selvakumar1
1School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Women often face unique and compounding challenges to their mental health and well-being, particularly during motherhood, due to a combination of physiological, emotional, and social demands. While empowerment is associated with positive mental health outcomes, there is limited evidence on women-led empowerment-based interventions specifically targeting maternal mental well-being. Using a community-based participatory approach, we recruited a diverse group of 12 mothers from British Columbia. The study unfolded in three phases, including three Focus Group Discussions to co-develop the empowerment toolkit. This collaborative process resulted in a comprehensive toolkit comprising 10 empowering skills aligned with the self-identified needs of mothers. Participants' feedback revealed mothers' strong interest in the toolkit and their recognition of its potential to support maternal mental health. The Empowerment toolkit represents a unique integration of mothers' lived experiences, perceived needs, and evidence-based strategies. Future research will focus on the evaluation of the toolkit's effectiveness on maternal mental health outcomes.
Women often face unique and compounding challenges to their mental health and well-being, particularly during motherhood, due to a combination of physiological, emotional, and social demands. While empowerment is associated with positive mental health outcomes, there is limited evidence on women-led empowerment-based interventions specifically targeting maternal mental well-being. Using a community-based participatory approach, we recruited a diverse group of 12 mothers from British Columbia. The study unfolded in three phases, including three Focus Group Discussions to co-develop the empowerment toolkit. This collaborative process resulted in a comprehensive toolkit comprising 10 empowering skills aligned with the self-identified needs of mothers. Participants' feedback revealed mothers' strong interest in the toolkit and their recognition of its potential to support maternal mental health. The Empowerment toolkit represents a unique integration of mothers' lived experiences, perceived needs, and evidence-based strategies. Future research will focus on the evaluation of the toolkit's effectiveness on maternal mental health outcomes.
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