MOMS Impact

Highlights on research on MOMS include:

• MOMS reduces maternal depressive symptoms
• MOMS increases maternal employment
• MOMS increases a mother's ability to meet her family's basic needs

Innovative mental health care delivery models have been proposed as a method to address disparities in access and utilization. This study characterizes patients' perspectives and experiences of participating in one such innovative delivery model, group cognitive behavioral therapy within a supermarket setting.

McMickens CL, Clayton A, Rosenthal MS, Wallace L, Howell HB, Bell G, Smith MV: A Qualitative Exploration of Mothers' Experiences Receiving Mental Health Services in a Supermarket Setting. Matern Child Health J. 2019 Jan 29; 2019 Jan 29. PMID: 30694441

An evaluation of the acceptability, feasibility, and initial outcomes of the delivery of a group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) mental health intervention for mothers in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

Smith MS, Callinan LS, Posner CS, Holmes SC, Ebling R: Improving Mental Health as a Pathway to Economic Mobility in the TANF System. Psychiatric Services. 2021 May 17. PMID: 33993713

Diaper need

Maternal mental illness constitutes one of most significant public health problems facing women of reproductive age and their children. Women who mother in poverty experience additional stressors, pointing to the need for innovative public health promotion efforts to reduce mental illness. Simple innovations, like making diapers more available and affordable, may represent an effective method of addressing this problem. This paper describes the research findings on diaper need reported by the New Haven Mental Health Outreach for Mothers Partnership and the process of translating these findings into broader policy and advocacy efforts.

Wallace LR, Weir AM, Smith MV: Policy Impact of Research Findings on the Association of Diaper Need and Mental Health. Womens Health Issues. 2017 Oct 17. PMID: 29050653

Material hardship represents a potential mechanism by which poverty influences the mental health of mothers. This study examined the association between two forms of material hardship, diaper need and food insufficiency, and maternal depressive symptoms.

Austin AE, Smith MV: Examining Material Hardship in Mothers: Associations of Diaper Need and Food Insufficiency with Maternal Depressive Symptoms. Health Equity. 2017; 2017 Sep 1. PMID: 29082357 18

This is the first peer-reviewed study to quantify diaper need, propose a method to measure diaper need, and explore psychosocial variables associated with diaper need in a large sample of urban, low-income families.

Smith MV, Kruse A, Weir A, Goldblum J: Diaper need and its impact on child health. Pediatrics. 2013 Aug; 2013 Jul 29. PMID: 23897910

Coming Soon

• MOMS impact in public housing
• MOMS impact on employment and basic needs
• DC MOMS pilot outcomes

Elevate partnered with the DC Department of Human Services (DHS) to evaluate the impact of a policy change designed to improve the wellbeing of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). In April 2018, a new Two-Generation (2-Gen) Policy took effect, ushering in a set of reforms intended to better serve both parents and children. This survey of 565 DC customers receiving TANF provides insights that can help DHS and MOMS best meet the needs of families.

You can read the full report, including the specifics of the policy here.

Assets, Goals & Challenges of Families Receiving Reach Up in Vermont

Elevate partnered with the VT Department for Children and Families, Economic Services Division (ESD) to investigate factors that distinguish families who receive Reach Up (Vermont’s TANF system) for 9 years or longer from those who receive it for less time. Elevate received survey data from ESD on 170 long-term families as well as data on 510 families who have received Reach Up for less than 9 years. The report builds on existing work detailing prior life experiences of long-term families and provides more insight into what, if anything, distinguishes their life experiences from those of others.

Click here to read the full report.