A May JAMA Internal Medicine study found that self-reported mental health has declined significantly for mothers nationally since 2016, making physician readiness with resources for affected patients critical.
Study authors measured the self-reported maternal mental and physical health of 198,417 participants from 2016 to 2023 by gauging responses on a five-point scale of excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor.
Declines in maternal mental health were marked, with self-reported “excellent” mental health declining from 38.4% to 25.8%. While “good” mental health grew from being reported by 18.8% of respondents to 26.1%, so did “fair/poor” mental health, whose self-reported prevalence increased from 5.5% to 8.5%.
Aiding physicians, Texas Medicine Today has previously reported on the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) resource for new parents, Information for Parents of Newborns, a publication that includes contact information for mental health support. DSHS has also made available to physicians an accompanying printable rack card that links to the agency’s booklet via QR code.
The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, which is included in DSHS’ resource, has a partner toolkit with shareable social media graphics and print flyers pointing parents toward the hotline as well as a wallet card physicians can share with patients.
Study authors found physical and mental health status was significantly worse among mothers with lower educational attainment, mothers with uninsured or publicly insured children, U.S.-born mothers, and single parents. A gender gap also exists, study authors found, particularly for fair/poor mental health, which was reported by 1 in 12 female parents (8.5%) in 2023 compared to 1 in 22 male parents (4.5%).
“The mental health of parents can also have profound intergenerational impacts; for example, maternal mood disorders are associated with adverse birth outcomes, early child development, and long-term child mental and physical health,” study authors wrote. Parental mental health disorders can contribute to social risk factors for children, the authors cautioned, including exposure to substance use disorder, intimate partner violence, and other adverse childhood experiences.
Thanks in part to TMA advocacy over the years, the state’s Healthy Texas Women Plus program now provides an enhanced postpartum care service package for enrollees that have been pregnant in the past 12 months, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy services in addition to peer specialist services. Covered benefits and a link to procedure codes can be found on the Healthy Texas Women webpage on the Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership website.
Learn more about perinatal mental health and associated resources on the Texas Medical Association’s Women’s/Maternal Health webpage.
Jessica Ridge
Reporter, Division of Communications and Marketing
(512) 370-1395