Experiences of New Mothers During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To describe postpartum experiences of women who gave birth during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, to identify short-term and long-term opportunities to address maternal-child health during this pandemic. METHODS: This qualitative photo-elicitation study asked 30 women between 3 and 10 weeks postpartum to take photographs that encompassed their experience as a new mother during the pandemic. Two trained interviewers elicited elements of this experience using the photos as an anchor during virtual, hour-long interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed using directed content analysis, including open coding to identify key ideas, codebook development, and codebook refinement. Half of transcripts were team coded to ensure coding accuracy. After coding, the study team organized codes to inform the development of an explanatory model. RESULTS: Interviews identified important stressors new mothers experienced that were worsened during the pandemic, namely fear, child care, older children, loss, isolation, and employment. Interviews also highlighted key support structures (self-care, interpersonal, and structural supports) that were at times helpful in alleviating stressors and at others were inadequate to counter stress and even enhanced stress. CONCLUSION: For postpartum individuals overall, the pandemic resulted in increased strain during an already stressful time. These findings demonstrate inadequacy of support systems for postpartum women and may highlight action items for stakeholders to improve postpartum care during the pandemic and in the future.

Pivoting a Community-Based Participatory Research Project for Mental Health and Immigrant Youth in Philadelphia During COVID-19.

Research has documented the need for mental health services among refugee and immigrant youth. A joint collaboration on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) research project between a university, a local art and health collective, and an immigrant and refugee organization sought to identify and understand the mental health needs and strategies for immigrant youth in Philadelphia through youth discussion and engagement in a variety of art workshops. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this CBPR research project was forced to make several programmatic changes, such as shifting to a virtual setting, that impacted project implementation and intended outcomes. These changes highlight valuable lessons and practical implications in pivoting a program during COVID-19 to continue working with marginalized communities with limited resources, including barriers to technology access, at a time when effectively addressing mental health for immigrant youth has become both more challenging and pressing.