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The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences and perspectives of mothers with children in residential treatment (RT) regarding parenting, discharge planning, and home-based safety. One-hour interviews were conducted over the phone with 15 mothers. Transcripts were analyzed using a content analysis approach. Three themes were generated including parenting a child in RT, unprepared for discharge, and crisis intervention in the home. This study contributes insight into the lives of an underserved population with implications to inform future research interventions and clinical guidelines to address the needs of families with children in RT.

Given the growing number of family members who provide care to adults with a disability or illness, this study examined differences in coping resources and mental health among family caregivers of persons with various health conditions. Within the context of Ensel and Lin's stress paradigm, 234 family caregivers participated in an online study by completing validated measures of resourcefulness, spiritual practices, caregiver burden, anxiety, and depression. Caregivers were categorized into nine groups according to their care recipient's condition. The groups differed significantly on burden and resourcefulness. Greatest burden and lowest resourcefulness were found in caregivers of persons with traumatic brain injury, stroke, and dementia. Caregivers across all groups were found to be at a similarly high risk for anxiety and depression. These results provide insights for tailoring interventions for caregivers, particularly those whose care recipients have traumatic brain injury, stroke, or dementia, who may benefit from resourcefulness training.

This study described the frequency of different adverse childhood experience (ACE) types described by women with recent IPV and examined the effects of each ACE type on women's mental health. Over 70% of women reported parental separation or divorce, over 40% reported childhood sexual assault, and around 40% had a mother who was treated violently. Childhood physical abuse and sexual assault were associated with more severe posttraumatic stress disorder or depressive symptoms. Comprehensive interventions that address not only the effects of IPV but also the enduring effects of ACEs are needed to promote mental health for survivors of IPV.

Pregnancy is a sensitive period of life where mental health is of utmost importance to the mother's and child's well-being peripartum and beyond. To better prevent and treat common mental health conditions such as depressive symptoms and perceived stress (defined in this study to encompass psychological and physiological (heart rate variability (HRV)) dimensions), it is crucial to examine and report differences in mental health outcomes among demographically diverse pregnant women. Therefore, the purpose of this secondary analysis ( N  = 79) was to determine if there are differences in mental health outcomes between pregnant women who differ across demographic factors, as well as to determine if demographic factors predict mental health outcomes when controlling for other demographic variables. Findings indicate that there were significant differences in depressive symptoms and perceived stress by all demographic factors except age. Marital status and total household income were the only significant predictors of depressive symptoms and perceived stress, respectively, when all other factors were controlled. There were no significant differences or correlations between demographic variables and HRV. Pregnant women may be predisposed to adverse mental health outcomes, illustrating the need for more refined interventions that are sensitive to pre-existing factors.

Stress in pregnancy is an exceedingly common issue that impacts the mother's mental health and the health of her baby. Yet, women with a supportive network of friends and family may experience lower stress and improved mental health. Therefore, the aims of this secondary analysis were to (a) examine relationships between stress experiences (i.e. perceived stress, pregnancy-specific stress) and indicators of mental health (i.e. absence of depressive symptoms and resourcefulness), (b) determine the effects of social support on stress experiences and indicators of mental health, and (c) determine if social support mediates the relationship between stress experiences and indicators of mental health. A convenience sample of 82 women in their second and third trimester of pregnancy participated in the parent study. Findings indicate that stress experiences were moderately correlated with indicators of mental health and social support predicted stress experiences and indicators of mental health. All social support mediation models were not significant with the exception of social support mediating the relationship between pregnancy-specific stress and resourcefulness. This was the first study to investigate the mediating role of social support on the relationship between pregnancy-specific stress and resourcefulness. Pregnant women may benefit from social support interventions to meaningfully reduce their stress and promote mental health. Such interventions may be physical activity, group prenatal care, or even peripartum home visits.

This study examined the six critical parameters for evaluating interventions, including necessity, acceptability, feasibility, safety, fidelity, and effectiveness, of a heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training intervention in a sample of 20 grandmothers who were the primary caregivers of their grandchildren. After the grandmothers completed the HRV biofeedback training, they answered open-ended questions to provide data on the six parameters during face-to-face interviews. The findings of the study provided evidence for the necessity, acceptability, feasibility, safety, fidelity, and effectiveness of the HRV biofeedback intervention for reducing the stress experienced by grandmothers in raising their grandchildren.