What Joy is Reading this July
By Joy Burkhard, MBA
Founder and Executive Director, 2020 Mom
This month the following articles and research caught my eye, including:
A headline that the USPSTF has created a plan for PCPs to screen for social determinants of health;
How COVID is impacting mental health, compounded by increases in families reporting food insecurity and loss of health insurance and child care. Domestic violence is suspected to be on the rise too (we don’t have good data sadly to track this consistently in the U.S.) and new research is out on DV screening rates.
New research showing that though mental health apps are being developed at extremely fast rates, they are not being utilized widely.
Obstetric care and Adverse Childhood Experiences - a jarring personal overview of why this really matters.
Read more below and let me know what you think by sharing your comments below.
Parents Report Worse Mental Health Now Than at the Beginning of the Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic is taking a toll on everyone, and a new survey finds that more than a quarter of parents say their mental health has worsened since March. The poll, which collected responses from around 1,000 people, also found that 1 in 7 parents reported worsening behavioral problems in their children. Many of the parents surveyed also reported more food insecurity now compared to the start of the pandemic, and also that their child was no longer covered by employer-sponsored insurance compared to March.
Read more here.
New Research Finds A Wide Gulf In Engagement With Mental Health Apps
A first-of-its-kind analysis, conducted in collaboration with researchers at Microsoft, paints a detailed picture of how people do — or don’t — engage with virtual mental health tools, a step toward expanding the use of digital therapeutics. Lackluster engagement has long been a thorn in the health tech industry’s side: As mental health tools proliferate, their uptake and long-term use remain relatively low. That problem has taken on new urgency as the pandemic shunts patients from in-person to online treatment. (Isselbacher, 7/24)
Read more here.
Why Do Women Suffer More With Insomnia?
Studies have shown that women are more likely to suffer from certain sleep problems like insomnia, and stress, anxiety and depression are leading causes of insomnia, and COVID is certainly triggering higher rates of stress among many women and families.
Studies have also found that hormones impact sleep.
Read more here.
Psychological Impact of Covid-19 Quarantine on Mothers in the Immediate Postpartum Period
A new study from Italy confirms COVID-19, combined with quarantine measures adopted during the pandemic, adversely affects the thoughts and emotions of new mothers, worsening depressive symptoms.
Read more here.
Hidden Risk of Domestic Violence during COVID-19
Since the start of the pandemic, victims’ advocates and law enforcement have expressed concern that orders to stay at home would increase intimate partner abuse. California and other states lack comprehensive reporting/data though three major cities with available data did report jumps in police reports however, these increases did not last over the next three months.
Read more here.
Study: Women's Experiences of Being Screened for Intimate Partner Violence in the Healthcare Setting
photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com
Following best practices when screening women for intimate partner violence in the healthcare setting can enhance disclosure of abuse and timely referral to services.
Read more here.
COVID Stress = Increases in “Broken Heart Syndrome” (Cardiomyopathy)
Researchers found there has been an increase in “Broken Heart Syndrome” due to COVID related to increases in psychological, social, and economic stress with imposed quarantine, lack of social interaction, strict physical distancing rules, and its economic consequences in people’s lives.
Read more here.
USPSTF Creates Plan for PCPs to Screen for Social Determinants of Health
The United States Preventive Services Task Force issued a position paper in the Annals of Internal Medicine outlining a framework for creating recommendations on addressing social determinants of health in primary care. The task force suggested three ways SDOHs could be addressed in its recommendations.
Read more here.
ACEs and Gynecological Problems - A Conversation Starter
In the culture in which I grew up, lingering effects of childhood abuse were seen as lack of will power, lack of faith in God or both.
Read more here.
Do you have thoughts on any of these articles? If so, share your thoughts with us by commenting below.