Elsevier

Journal of Pediatric Health Care

Volume 24, Issue 6, November–December 2010, Pages 378-384
Journal of Pediatric Health Care

Article
Mothers With Positive or Negative Depression Screens Evaluate a Maternal Resource Guide

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2010.04.004Get rights and content

Abstract

Introduction

Social isolation is common in mothers with high depressive symptoms. This study tested the hypothesis that a maternal resource guide that provided mothers with links to community human service agencies would be deemed more helpful by mothers with positive depression screens (PDS) compared with mothers with negative depression screens (NDS).

Method

This investigation was a cross-sectional survey study of a convenience sample from a primary care practice–based research network, the Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network (SOAR-Net). English-speaking mothers who took their child(ren) to SOAR-Net practices were eligible to participate in the study. Data were collected between May 2006 and March 2009. A total of 1048 mothers completed the survey, and 234 mothers refused to participate.

Results

Mothers were more likely to report that “This guide is helpful to me” if they were single (odds ratio [OR] = 4.05; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.77-5.94), their child had public health insurance (OR = 3.59; 95% CI: 2.39-5.40), or they had PDS (OR = 3.57; 95% CI: 2.13-5.98). After adjusting for a number of demographic variables, PDS continued to be significantly associated with “This guide is helpful to me” (adjusted OR = 2.68; 95% CI: 1.58-4.56).

Discussion

Mothers with PDS were more likely to report that the maternal resource guide would be personally helpful compared with mothers with NDS.

Section snippets

Study Design

This investigation is a cross-sectional survey study of a convenience sample from a primary practice–based research network, the Southwestern Ohio Ambulatory Research Network (SOAR-Net). Because study participants were anonymous, it was impossible for investigators to follow any of the mothers' behavioral changes that might result from the survey.

Sample (SOAR-Net)

SOAR-Net, which was founded in 2002, is led by a general pediatrician and a family physician. Three PhD investigators join community- and

Results

Compared with civilian mothers, military mothers were older, more highly educated, more likely to be European American (all study mothers were either African American or European American), and less likely to report positive depression screens. On average, both civilian mothers and military mothers reported about two children at home (Table 2).

Compared with civilian mothers who had negative depression screens, civilian mothers with positive depression screens were less likely to be married or

Discussion

In this study of mothers from primary care pediatric practices, the only factors independently associated with “A Guide for Moms” being helpful to them were a positive depression screen and single marital status.

In this study of mothers from primary care pediatric practices, the only factors independently associated with “A Guide for Moms” being helpful to them were a positive depression screen and single marital status. Previous studies have shown that mothers would welcome discussion of

John M. Pascoe, Professor, Pediatrics, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH.

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  • Cited by (0)

    John M. Pascoe, Professor, Pediatrics, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH.

    Miryoung Lee, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, and Assistant Professor, Community Health, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH.

    Sandra L. Specht, Research Coordinator, Pediatrics, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH.

    Caroline I. McNicholas, Research Coordinator, Pediatrics, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH.

    William Spears, Associate Professor, Pediatrics, and Associate Professor, Community Health, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH.

    Alyssa Gans, Medical Student, Pediatrics, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH.

    Amy M. Heneghan, Pediatrician, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Palo Alto, CA; and Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH.

    This study was funded by the Ohio Department of Mental Health.

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