Search

This study describes findings of a phenomenological study of Black women's experiences with a community-based perinatal support organization based in Cleveland, Ohio. Twenty-five women participated in interviews after their babies were born about how the organization in general, and perinatal support professionals (PSPs) in particular supported them during their pregnancies and the meaning of that support. The overall meaning of perinatal support was described as easing participants' transitions into motherhood through reducing uncertainty, social isolation, and stress. The three main themes described the meaning of perinatal support and included (a) easing the transition to motherhood through emotional support, expressed via love and help managing relationships; (b) easing the transition to motherhood through instrumental support, expressed via helping with basic needs and obtaining material goods for the baby; and (c) easing the transition to motherhood through informational support, expressed via help navigating systems and information, and gaining knowledge and skills around mothering and self-care. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed. Public Policy Relevance Statement: Black infant and maternal mortality rates, which research finds are related to the stress of racism, are at crisis levels. All women should have free access to community-based perinatal support, a cost-effective intervention that could work to reduce health disparities in part by reducing women's stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paid sick leave is increasingly identified as a social justice issue having important implications for health and wellness; however, little is known about its relationship to mental health. Data from the 2015 cross section of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS; 2015) were used to examine the relationship between paid sick leave and psychological distress during the last 30 days among N = 17,897 working United States adults. The 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), a valid and reliable instrument for assessing psychological distress in population based samples, was used to measure the outcome variable of interest. The K6 score was computed from 6 questions and was regressed on paid sick leave status, after controlling for variables known to be related to psychological distress. Results indicated that workers who lack paid sick leave benefits report a statistically significant higher level of psychological distress, and are 1.45 times more likely to report their distress symptoms interfere a lot with their life or activities compared with workers with paid sick leave. This research adds to a body of work analyzing institutional structures and social determinants of health. Findings support the potential value of paid sick leave as an intervention to promote behavioral health. (PsycINFO Database Record [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]