Embodied storytelling and meaning-making at the end of life: VoicingHan avatar life-review for palliative care in cancer patients.

This article presents VoicingHan project as a new form of life-review mediated by digital avatars promoting the reconstruction of self and identity through performativity. Whereas traditional life-review uses interview as primary means of the therapeutic process, VoicingHan is mediated by virtual bodies with self-guided participation in one's own life stories through embodied storytelling performance. VoicingHan enrolled 12-patients receiving outpatient palliative care at VCU Massey cancer center.

Clusters of Behavioral Health and Psychosocial Risk for Childbearing Women in Four Virginia Communities.

Introduction Four Virginia communities participated in a community services enhancement pilot to centralize intake and referral for childbearing women eligible for home visiting support through the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. Methods As an aspect of the study, project-trained intake workers administered behavioral health and psychosocial risk screening (including emotional health, substance use, interpersonal violence, and smoking) during intake eligibility assessment. Participants identified as at-risk were referred for community intervention concurrently with referral to MIECHV services.

Integrating Behavioral Health Risk Assessment into Centralized Intake for Maternal and Child Health Services.

Effectively promoting women's health during and around the time of pregnancy requires early, nonstigmatizing identification and assessment of behavioral health risks (such as depression, substance use, smoking, and interpersonal violence) combined with timely linkage to community support and specialized interventions. This article describes an integrated approach to behavioral health risk screening woven into a point of first contact with the health care delivery system: centralized intake for maternal and child health home visiting programs. Behavioral Health Integrated Centralized Intake is a social work-informed, community-designed approach to screening, brief intervention, and service linkage targeting communities at high risk for fetal and infant mortality.

Prevalence and Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in Pregnant African American Women.

African American women may be especially vulnerable to antepartum depression, a major health concern during pregnancy. This study investigated the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms in a sample of African American women who were between 14-17 weeks pregnant, a timeframe that is typically thought to be a time of general well-being. Two-thirds reported a CES-D score ≥ 16 indicative of depressive symptomatology.

A psychiatric medication decision support guide for social work practice with pregnant and postpartum women.

In their work in human services organizations and community agencies across service sectors, social workers encounter pregnant and postpartum women experiencing mental health challenges. This article offers an evidence-informed Decision Support Guide designed for use by social workers working with pregnant and postpartum women who are struggling with complicated decisions about psychiatric medication use. The guide is built on contemporary notions of health literacy and shared decision making and is informed by three areas: (1) research into the lived experiences of pregnant and postpartum women and health care providers around psychiatric medication decision making, (2) a critical review of existing decision aids, and (3) feedback on the strategy from social work practitioners who work with pregnant and postpartum women.

Daily life or diagnosis? Dual perspectives on perinatal depression within maternal and child health home visiting.

This study describes a qualitative inquiry-informing program development in a maternal and child home visiting program. Low-income women's perceptions of the meaning and experiences of depression were ascertained through focus groups and interviews. Simultaneously, the study examines staff member perceptions and roles related to depression.

What does it mean when we screen? A closer examination of perinatal depression and psychosocial risk screening within one MCH home visiting program.

Perinatal depression screening has become an imperative for maternal and child health (MCH) home visitation programs. However, contextual life experiences and situational life stress may be equally important in determining program response. As one component of a larger research study with an urban MCH home visitation program, we examined the results from multiple measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, social support and stressful life events in a sample of 30 newly enrolled program participants.

Psychopharmacology decision-making among pregnant and postpartum women and health providers: informing compassionate and collaborative care women's health.

Psychopharmaceutical use by pregnant and postpartum women is complicated by the complexity of prescribing as well as the sociocultural context in which medication-related decisions are made. This study sought to advance understanding of decision-making processes and communication experiences regarding use of psychopharmaceuticals during pregnancy by considering both provider and consumer perspectives. An electronic survey was conducted with health care providers (N = 88) and women consumers (N = 83) from July 2010 through October 2011 regarding the perceived costs and benefits of taking mental health medication during and around the time of pregnancy.

Perinatal depression screening and intervention: enhancing health provider involvement.

Objective: The authors of this study collaborated in the analysis of public health survey data in order to inform future statewide interventions that could systematically enhance depression screening and mental health service use for women of reproductive age. The primary objective of the study was to empirically inform and test the program theory components of a motivational interviewing intervention that we anticipate will guide statewide practice and policy priorities.

Methods: Data were examined from a survey of healthcare practitioners statewide (n=1498) regarding their practices with and perceptions of perinatal depression care for women.

A rural perspective on perinatal depression: prevalence, correlates, and implications for help-seeking among low-income women.

Unlabelled: CONTEXT/PURPOSE: To examine a low-income sample of women in the rural Midwest (N = 1,086) who were screened for perinatal depression through the outreach and education activities within a Healthy Start Initiative project. Specifically, we describe the frequency and severity of depressive symptoms, explore social and demographic correlates of depression, and examine help-seeking through patterns of self-referral to a Healthy Start perinatal depression project in a rural, medically underserved community.

Methods: Depression screening data using the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (PRIME-MD) as well as intake records from the project were analyzed in a retrospective analysis to identify important demographic and psychosocial characteristics associated with elevated levels of depressive symptoms and help-seeking patterns.

Women and reproductive loss: client-worker dialogues designed to break the silence.

An estimated one in four women experiences a pregnancy loss during her lifetime. Despite the pervasiveness of fetal mortality reflected by these numbers, social workers rarely initiate dialogues regarding reproductive loss history. Reproductive loss experiences are interwoven with typical themes emerging in everyday social work practice, including mental health, self-conceptualization, social roles, and future parenting.

Stepping back to gain perspective: pregnancy loss history, depression, and parenting capacity in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B).

Previous empirical studies of pregnancy loss have predominantly focused on complex grief response and emergent problems associated with future parenting in self-selected samples of bereaved women. This article presents findings from a retrospective secondary data analysis conducted with a racially and ethnically diverse sample of currently parenting women in the United States (N = 10,688) that examined the relationships among pregnancy loss history, current maternal depressive symptoms, and mother-infant interaction with the enrolled child. Study findings underscore a racial-ethnic disparity in pregnancy loss history for African American women, whereas current maternal depressive symptoms remain fairly constant across racial-ethnic groups.

Social work, siblings, and SIDS: conceptual and case-based guidance for family system intervention.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a tragic loss event within the family, impacting adults as well as children. This article uses three case illustrations to discuss the role of a SIDS event on the family system with a special focus on the emergent challenges for surviving siblings of various ages. Practice application examples are woven throughout the review to illustrate the age-specific grief responses which may occur following a SIDS event.

Changing hospital newborn nursery practice: results from a statewide "Back to Sleep" nurses training program.

Objective: In response to findings from a statewide survey of hospital nurses, the authors designed, conducted, and evaluated a "Back to Sleep" nursing curriculum and training program in Missouri hospitals using two distinct training formats. This article evaluates the initial and follow-up outcomes for training participants and assesses the impact of training format on participant outcomes.

Methods: Participants selected training format by hospital site.

Prevalence and correlates of pregnancy loss history in a national sample of children and families.

Public health prevalence data has consistently illustrated disparities in fetal mortality prevalence on a yearly basis, yet few studies have examined the prevalence and correlates of pregnancy loss history during the reproductive life span. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, approximately 25% of childbearing women in the United States were found to have experienced one or more fetal deaths prior to the current live birth. An examination of the demographic correlates of singular and multiple loss history in age-controlled models reveals that a history of multiple loss was significantly related to African-American race, lower socioeconomic status, income below poverty, and lower maternal education.