Momba: A smartphone application to promote the mental health of new mothers

描述(由申请人提供)：抑郁症和焦虑症影响女性的频率是男性的两倍。女性在育龄期间患抑郁症的风险最高。女性中已知的风险因素包括低收入、单身婚姻状况、青少年育儿和社会孤立。尽管种族和少数民族身份本身并不会增加罹患严重抑郁症的风险，但贫困会导致少数民族妇女患抑郁症的风险较高。尽管低收入的少数族裔妇女患抑郁症的风险较高，但她们在初级或专科环境中获得精神卫生保健的可能性较小，而且当她们确实寻求适当的护理时也不太可能得到适当的护理。社会关系和社会支持对新妈妈的心理健康至关重要。然而，很少有干预措施针对全社区层面的社会联系。我们建议透过建立基于网络的社交网络应用程序，在全社会范围内促进母亲的精神健康。居住在康涅狄格州纽黑文并在耶鲁-纽黑文医院接生的母亲样本将获得一部具有网络功能的手机(或“智能手机”)、互联网连接、访问我们的基于网络的社区Momba，以及如何使用它的培训。在授权期的第二年到第三年，我们将随机安排妇女接受基于网络的干预。一位被称为“社区心理健康大使”的社区卫生工作者将为母亲们提供如何使用这一基于网络的应用程序的培训。为了实现我们的目标，我们组建了一个由科学家、行业领袖和社区成员组成的团队，不仅推动科学和研究，而且还促进从基于网络的平台为新妈妈而来的信息的学习和传播。我们将编制和分发我们的社区精神健康大使培训课程，供全国和国际社区使用。该课程将使社区能够培训母亲和其他外展和专业工作人员如何利用技术促进心理健康。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Depressive and anxiety disorders affect women twice as frequently as men. Women are at highest risk for a depressive disorder during their childbearing years. Known risk factors among women include low-income, single marital status, adolescent parenting, and social isolation. Although racial and ethnic minority status, per se, do not increase risk of major depressive disorder, poverty mediates risk of depression leading to high rates of mood disorders in ethnic minority women. Despite their elevated risk for depression, low-income, minority women are less likely to obtain mental health care in either the primary or specialty setting, and less likely to receive appropriate care when they do seek it. Social connections and social support are critical to the mental health of new mothers. However, few interventions have been developed to target social connectedness on a communitywide-level. We propose to promote community-wide maternal mental health through the creation of a web-based social networking application. A sample of mothers residing in New Haven, Connecticut and delivering a baby at Yale-New Haven Hospital will be provided with a web-enabled phone (or "smartphone"), internet connectivity, access to our web-based community, Momba, and training on how to use it. In years 2 through 3 of the grant period we will randomize women to receive the web-based intervention. A community health worker, termed "Community Mental Health Ambassador," will provide training for mothers on how to use the web-based application. To accomplish our aims we have assembled a team of scientists, industry-leaders, and community members to advance not only the science and research, but also the learning and dissemination of information derived from the web-based platform for new mothers. We will manualize and distribute our training curriculum for Community Mental Health Ambassadors for use by communities across the country and internationally. This curriculum will allow communities to train mothers and other outreach and professional staff on the use of technology for the promotion of mental health.