Building healthy families: a program for single mothers

Area of Science:

• Family Health
• Community Health Nursing
• Health Education

Background:

• Single-parent families face unique stressors impacting family health.
• There is a need for creative strategies to support these families.
• Family Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) encounter challenges in addressing these needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a project aimed at enhancing positive health behaviors and life skills in female-headed single-parent families.
• To present the development and implementation of an education/support group intervention.

Main Methods:

• The project involved creating and implementing an education/support group.
• The intervention combined structured health education with facilitated small group discussions.
• Participants were female heads of single-parent households.

Main Results:

• The education/support group model was developed and implemented.
• The intervention aimed to provide therapeutic benefits through combined health education and discussion.
• Positive health behaviors and life skills were targeted.

Conclusions:

• Education and support groups can be effective therapeutic interventions for single-parent families.
• This project offers a model for supporting the health and well-being of female-headed single-parent households.
• Further research may explore the long-term impact of such programs.