THE IMPACT OF CENTERINGPARENTING ON THE PSYCHOSOCIAL EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF ADOLESCENT MOTHERS, A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT STUDY

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health Vol. 64; no. 2S; p. S113
• Main Authors: Omotola, Ayomide, Ajayi, Tinoula, Odugbesan, Oriyomi, De Ornelas, Maria, Joseph, Natalie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Elsevier BV 01-02-2019
• Subjects: Adolescent mothers; Alternative approaches; Appreciation; Community; Emotional well being; Families & family life; Focus groups; Health services; Health status; Holistic approach; Infants; Interviews; Maternal and infant welfare; Maternal characteristics; Medicine; Mental health; Mothers; Parenting skills; Parents & parenting; Patient communication; Pregnancy; Psychiatry; Psychological well being; Psychosocial factors; Psychosocial well being; Quality control; Quality improvement; Quality management; Sampling; Secondary schools; Skills; Teenagers; Well being
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972

Purpose: To determine if the CenteringParenting (CP) model of care improves maternal-infant dyad health and psychological well-being in adolescent mothers. Methods: A focus group discussion was conducted among adolescent mothers (AM) who participated in CP at the Boston Medical Center (BMC), to assess the impact of CP on their psychosocial well-being and to assess their level of satisfaction regarding parental knowledge and practice. Seven AM and one grandmother participated in the focus group discussions and two mothers were selected at random to participate in a one-on-one interview. Also, eight semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with BMC/Teen and Tot CP providers and facilitators. Purposive sampling was utilized to recruit providers and obtain the most informative and diverse perceptions. Results: On average, the CP participants had a mean age of 19.88 years (SD=1.55) and (62.5%) graduated high school. The majority of the participants were black (87.50%) and lived with their infants for greater than half of the time (100%). Different themes emerged from the interviews, such as Community support and Parenting Guidance. Most adolescent mothers reported feeling like CP is a safe place where they can speak their mind, receive support, and feel part of a community. One mother stated, "I have a family but can't talk to them like I can talk to you guys, when I was pregnant, nobody judged me. It is a place you can just be free without being judged." One said, "I do not really socialize, if the doctor ask me a question I answer... when I socialize, it is during the meeting". Most mothers expressed that their parenting skills improved and were overall pleased with CP because they felt cared for, listened to, and encouraged. Adolescent mothers expressed their appreciation to be part of a group that enabled them to monitor their progress and take care of themselves and their family. CP providers and facilitators were also very accepting of CP and expressed the positive impacts of CP. A CP provider described it as a medical visit where mothers and children were seen by their provider in a stimulating and supportive environment that helps to improve patient's parenting skills, "We teach them how to do their vitals.That's the good thing. We are helping them see how the baby is growing." One CP facilitator stated, "I have had parents say how happy they are with the group and how they want to keep it going even after the age limit." All in all, CP staff felt that they were able to provide adolescent mothers with holistic care by providing a large scope of services such as, medical care, resources, social and community support, and parenting guidance. Conclusions: Overall, this evaluation concluded that CP is feasible and acceptable among adolescent mothers at BMC. Data suggests that CP has a positive impact on adolescent mother's physical and psychological well-being. Further, there is a need to explore the effects of CP on repeated PDSA cycles to then conduct an RCTon a larger population.