About this session

Thursday, 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Improving Early Childhood Development through Maternal Mental Health Interventions in LMICs

Up to 1 in 4 women living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the first year after giving birth, yet over 90% of them lack access to treatment. Addressing maternal mental health problems enhances maternal well-being and promotes responsive caregiving, both of which are crucial for optimal child health and development. However, limited studies have been conducted in LMICs to examine how maternal mental health interventions can lead to significant improvements in early childhood development.

This panel presents the latest research on the intersection of maternal mental health, early childhood development, and family dynamics in LMICs. The first study uses a large-scale randomized trial to demonstrate how integrating mental health and parental stimulation interventions improves cognitive and language skills among children under three in rural China. The second paper, through qualitative methods, evaluates the implementation fidelity and quality of the maternal mental health intervention discussed in the first paper, offering valuable insights for program adaptation and quality improvement. The third study explores integrating maternal mental health services into existing healthcare systems, showcasing strategies to improve the scalability and sustainability of such interventions. The final paper examines how women's empowerment mitigates the negative effects of intimate partner violence on child development, emphasizing the importance of empowerment initiatives within maternal mental health support interventions. Together, these studies showcase strategies for improving maternal mental health and early childhood development through effective, sustainable, and scalable interventions in LMICs.

Paper #1
Title	The Effectiveness of a Maternal Mental Health Promotion Intervention on Early Childhood Development in China
Presenting author	Dr. Yiwei Qian, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China

Paper #2
Title	Process Evaluation of the Implementation of a Maternal Mental Health Intervention in Rural China
Presenting author	Boya Wang, Stanford University, United States

Paper #3
Title	Research on Effectiveness of Postpartum Mental Health Interventions: A Practice Based on Child Healthcare System
Presenting author	Yuyin Xiao, Stanford University, United States

Paper #4
Title	Associations between Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Child Development: Moderating Role of Women’s Empowerment
Presenting author	Ms. Anum Nisar, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom

View all paper details

Session chairs
Helen Osborne Pitchik, Ph.D., Division of Epidemiology, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, United States; Qi Jiang, , United States

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