Faculty Presentations Faculty Presentations: June Horowitz

Perspectives of Black/African American women on a digital healthcare platform to reduce PPD and improve mother-infant interaction

Full list of poster authors

• Bobbie Posmontier
• June Andrews Horowitz, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN
• Pamela A. Geller
• Mary McDonough
• Kayla Alvares
• Jessica Beneway
• Katie Chang
• Tony Ma
• Mona Elgohail
• Yiqi Wang
• Kayla Layne

Conference where poster was previously displayed

Eastern Nursing Research Society, 2025, Philadelphia, PA

Poster abstract

Perspectives of Black/African American women on a digital healthcare platform to reduce PPD and improve mother-infant interaction

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) affects approximately 20% of postpartum women with higher prevalence among Black/ African American (B/AA) women including those who are underserved. Stigma, racial and healthcare inequities, the Strong Black Woman Schema, poor access, and childcare and transportation challenges prevent many women and their infants from obtaining treatment for PPD and related suboptimal mother-infant interaction. These barriers may escalate for women facing adverse social determinants of health including cultural and economic conditions.  Current evidence supports digital healthcare interventions as convenient, cost-effective, and accessible. A culturally tailored digital healthcare platform has potential to address health disparities and improve treatment access and health outcomes for B/AA women and their infants.

Purpose: To describe the perspectives of B/AA women on the development of MommaConnect, a digital healthcare platform to augment treatment for PPD and mother-infant interaction. We plan to tailor MommaConnect to B/AA women experiencing PPD and their infants to address their perspectives and reduce cultural barriers to treatment. 

Methods: As part of a User-Centered design, we conducted focus groups via HIPAA compliant video-conferencing with 6 B/AA women to gain their perspectives on the development of MommaConnect. Recordings were transcribed verbatim and qualitative data were analyzed by the research team via content analysis.  

Results: We elicited perspectives on barriers to and motivators for PPD treatment. Themes included systematic/cultural barriers, racism/discrimination, effectiveness of treatment, alternative support/self-care, and technology support preferences. Overall, the results informed the research team on culturally relevant development of MommaConnect.

Conclusions & Implications: Results from this study informed ongoing development of MommaConnect to meet the needs of B/AA women with PPD to improve health outcomes for both mothers and infants.