Disability-Related Disparities in Screening for Intimate Partner Violence During the Perinatal Period: A Population-Based Study.

Background: Persons with disabilities are at higher risk of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) during the perinatal period than persons without disabilities. Although screening for IPV during the perinatal period is recommended by many organizations, little is known about screening rates for IPV by disability status.

Methods: Our objective was to compare rates of IPV screening during the perinatal period among persons with and without disabilities in the United States.

Adapting the Role of Doulas to Enhance Supports for Perinatal People with Substance Use Disorders.

Purpopse: There is a gap in the current literature regarding how doula care may be implemented into existing systems in Montana to best address the needs of individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) during the perinatal period. Doulas may be particularly well positioned to reach a diverse range of patients, allowing them to feel supported and advocated for within the medical system. This study aims to illustrate the perspectives and experiences of doulas, individuals who have experienced perinatal SUDs, and maternal and mental health providers.

Community starts at home: Toward understanding the dynamic relationship between home usability and community participation for people with mobility disabilities.

To foster meaningful participation within a community, people must have access to suitable and safe housing. Unfortunately, many people with disabilities currently reside in homes that fail to meet their functional, social, and psychological needs. Limited research has explored the interaction between housing and home usability on community participation for people with disabilities.

Understanding loneliness and its correlates among people with spinal cord injury.

Purpose: To conduct the first known comprehensive examination of loneliness and its correlates in a diverse sample of people with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 343 people with SCI provided responses to the 20-item UCLA Loneliness Scale-Version 3. We examined the relation of loneliness to measures of demographic, disability, physical health, and social characteristics.

Counting everyone: evidence for inclusive measures of disability in federal surveys.

The US Census Bureau has used the American Community Survey six-question set (ACS-6) to identify disabled people since 2008. In late 2023, the Census Bureau proposed changes to these questions that would have reduced disability prevalence estimates by 42%. Because these estimates inform funding and programs that support the health and independence of people with disabilities, many disability researchers and advocates feared this change in data collection would lead to reductions in funding and services.

Obstetric transport in rural settings: Referral and transport of pregnant patients in a state without a perinatal regionalized system of care.

Objective: To assess factors impacting obstetric transport and referral processes for pregnant patients experiencing an emergency in a rural state without a perinatal regionalized system of care.

Data Sources And Study Setting: Data is from Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) without obstetric units and healthcare providers involved in obstetric care and transport at hospitals with varying levels of obstetric capacity in Montana.

Study Design: This mixed-methods study involved surveying CAHs without obstetric units about the hospitals' capacity for obstetric emergencies and transport policies.

Patient-centered respectful maternity care: a factor analysis contextualizing marginalized identities, trust, and informed choice.

Background: Increasing rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, coupled with ever-widening racial health disparities in maternal health outcomes, indicate that radical improvements need to be made in the delivery of maternity care. This study explored the provision of patient-centered maternity care from the perspective of pregnant and postpartum people; experiences of respect and autonomy were examined through the multi-dimensional contexts of identity, relational trust, and protection of informed choices.

Methods: We conducted primary data collection among individuals who experienced a pregnancy in the five years preceding the survey (N = 484) using the validated Mothers on Respect Index (MORi) and Mothers Autonomy in Decision Making (MADM) scale.

"Just trying to adjust to the new reality that seems to be changing every hour": Lessons learned from nation-wide peer meetings on COVID-19 with rural disability service providers.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, providers of independent living services for rural disabled people were forced to adapt how they conducted their operations. This study is a primary analysis of data based on transcripts from eight meetings of a nationwide network of service providers, who met virtually to provide peer support during the unfolding pandemic. We used qualitative thematic analysis to understand the ways these service providers adapted to address the needs of rural disabled people during the pandemic.

COVID-19, Disability, and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: A Scoping Review of Early-Stage Pandemic Response.

Introduction: This study aimed to systematically identify the environmental factors that impacted people with disability during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A scoping literature review was conducted using LitCOVID (January 1-July 31, 2020). Sixty-six articles met the inclusion criteria that (1) discussed disability and/or health conditions related to functioning and (2) considered environmental factors.

Early Insights into Implementation of Universal Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Perinatal Substance Use.

Objectives: Perinatal substance use is a growing concern across the United States. Universal screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is one systems-level approach to addressing perinatal substance use. The objective of this study is to assess early efforts to implement SBIRT in an outpatient obstetric clinic.

Usual Source of Care and Contraceptive Use.

Background: A high proportion of people in the United States at risk of unintended pregnancy also have limited primary care access.

Study Design: We pooled data for analyses from separate 2015-2017 and 2017-2019 waves of the National Survey of Family Growth. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate associations between the usual source of health care and self-reported use of a comprehensive range of contraceptive options, as well as alignment between patient preference and the current method.

Contraception Use by Title X Clients and Clients of Other Providers, 2015-2019.

Introduction: Title X clinics provide access to a wide range of contraceptive options for individuals of all income levels and documentation statuses. As Title X continues to face political uncertainties, it is important to provide up-to-date information about its clients' use of contraception. This study used recent nationally representative data to compare contraception received by Title X clients with that received by clients of other providers.

Victim Notification Protocols for Untested Sexual Assault Kits: Survivors' and Advocates' Perspectives on Law Enforcement-Led Outreach Methods.

Current estimates suggest there are 300,000-400,000 untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) in police department storage facilities throughout the United States. As these kits are being discovered and then submitted for forensic DNA testing, legal system personnel may recontact victims. These "victim notifications" involve informing survivors their kits were previously untested, sharing the results of new DNA testing, and asking for their engagement in reinvestigating and prosecuting the case.

Psychosocial Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women with Spinal Cord Injury.

This study represents the first known research addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States. Women in this population face unique barriers that put them at elevated risk for compromised quality of life, risk that was magnified by physical and social restrictions imposed during the pandemic. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of women with SCI and the effect of the pandemic on their lives.

Operationalizing risk-appropriate perinatal care in a rural US State: directions for policy and practice.

Background: Risk-appropriate care improves outcomes by ensuring birthing people and infants receive care at a facility prepared to meet their needs. Perinatal regionalization has particular importance in rural areas where pregnant people might not live in a community with a birthing facility or specialty care. Limited research focuses on operationalizing risk-appropriate care in rural and remote settings.

Telehealth Adoption During COVID-19: Lessons Learned from Obstetric Providers in the Rocky Mountain West.

Introduction: Obstetric providers have used telemedicine to manage gestational diabetes, mental health, and prenatal care. However, the uptake of telemedicine in this field has not been universal. The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed the adoption of telehealth in obstetric care, which will have lasting effects, especially for rural communities.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with spinal cord injury.

Purpose: Few studies have examined the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives of people with spinal cord injury (SCI), a population uniquely vulnerable to pandemic-related stressors. This study examines the impact of the pandemic on three life domains (psychosocial health, health and health behavior, and social participation) and identifies risk factors for adverse psychosocial health impacts in a sample of people with SCI.

Method: A diverse sample of 346 adults with SCI completed a survey assessing demographic, disability, health, and social characteristics, and perceived impacts of the pandemic.

Interpersonal Violence Against Women With Spinal Cord Injury: Adding Insult to Injury.

Background: Mounting empirical evidence suggests that, compared to women without disabilities, women with disabilities are more likely to experience interpersonal violence (IPV). However, there is extremely limited research attention on IPV against women with spinal cord injury (SCI), a particularly understudied and underserved population.

Objectives: To conduct the first known examination of lifetime IPV experience in women with SCI, to explore demographic and disability-related correlates of IPV, and to examine the health impacts of IPV.

Association of mobile health (mHealth) use with health status and COVID-19-related concerns by people with mobility impairments.

Purpose: Mobile health (mHealth) technology has increased dramatically in the wake of the pandemic. Less research has focused on people with mobility impairing (PMI) disabilities. This study determined the prevalence of mHealth use among PMI adults during the COVID-19 escalation and examines demographic, health and COVID-19 concerns correlates.

Vocational Rehabilitation Service Receipt, Service Expenditures, and Ruralness.

Background: An important factor embedded within Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) delivery capacity relates to geography, such as distance from the VR office and availability of service providers or community rehabilitation programs.

Objective: We explored receipt of VR job search and placement services based on distance to an urban center, demographic, and disability variables after controlling for local employment conditions.

Methods: Using 2015 RSA-911 case services data, we used probit to produce estimates for each combination of service and service source (agency and purchased), and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and semi-parametric regression to estimate log expenditures for each service category.

Depressive symptoms during the perinatal period by disability status: Findings from the United States Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System.

Aims: The aim of the current study was to compare the prevalence of depressive symptoms during the perinatal period among respondents with a disability as compared to those without a disability.

Design: We conducted a secondary analysis of nationally representative data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data from 24 participating United States between 2018 and 2020.

Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 37,989 respondents provided data on disability, including difficulty in vision, hearing, ambulation, cognition, communication and self-care.

Transportation Patterns of Adults With Travel-Limiting Disabilities in Rural and Urban America.

Introduction: Lack of transportation is a significant barrier to community participation for many disabled adults. Living in a rural area introduces additional transportation barriers, such as having to travel long distances to access services or socialize, and limited public transit options. While the importance of transportation access is clear, the mix of different transportation options used by people with disabilities to participate in their communities is less understood, particularly among those who do not or cannot drive.

Intersections of Personal Assistance Services for Rural Disabled People and Home Care Workers' Rights.

It is very difficult to find and keep workers to provide home-based care for disabled people, especially in rural places. There is a tension between the rights of disabled people and the rights of home-based personal care workers. In this brief review, we explore the intersections of historical and social forces that shaped federal-level policies for both disability rights and the rights of personal care workers, as well as the current state of the policies.