Article Highlights
Perinatal maternal depression, interpersonal violence, (IPV) substance use and poor sexual health are critical public health concerns with significant negative impacts on child development.
Despite widespread calls for service integration at the systems/organizational level and well-documented benefits to children and families, predictors to service integration by community-based providers (Community Health Workers and Home Visitors) are not well understood.
Our findings elucidate areas for future investment for human services agency administrators and point to future areas of intervention that can bolster integrated service provision, thereby improve efficiency, cost effectiveness, and optimal maternal and child health care outcomes for at-risk populations.
Fordham GSS faculty members Rahbel Rahman, Ph.D., and Abigail Ross, Ph.D., have collaborated with MSW student Rupal Patel to publish new groundbreaking research that sheds light on how perinatal maternal depression, interpersonal violence (IPV), substance use, and inadequate sexual health impact the health and prosperity of families.
The article, titled “Predictors of service integration by community based providers in New York State offering maternal and infant services,” was published in Children and Youth Services Review.
Service integration between community health workers (CHWs) and home visitors (HVs) is pivotal to creating a more robust and comprehensive care experience for families. Armed with data from 159 community-based providers in New York State, Rahbel, Ross, Patel, and other co-researchers worked to decipher the elements contributing to successful service integration.
The findings unveil a compelling narrative – a tale of confidence and job satisfaction. When CHWs and HVs feel competent in their abilities and derive satisfaction from their work, they are better poised to provide families with the holistic care they require. This mirrors the idea that when you’re engaged and motivated, your efforts yield the most remarkable outcomes.
By unraveling the dynamics that empower CHWs and HVs, the study paves the way for a more interconnected approach to family support. This research is a blueprint for shaping the future of family care.
Full Abstract
Perinatal maternal depression, interpersonal violence, (IPV) substance use and poor sexual health are critical public health concerns with significant negative impacts on child development. Despite widespread calls for service integration at the systems/organizational level and well-documented benefits to children and families, predictors to service integration are not well understood. Using cross-sectional data from 159 community-based providers (CBPs) who identify as community health workers (CHWs) or home visitors (HVs) in New York State, United States, our study aims to examine organizational and individual level predictors to service integration. Service integration in this study is defined as the screening, delivery and referral-making of two or more services over the course of six months. Services of interest in this study include mental health, IPV, sexual health, mental health, and substance abuse services. Descriptive statistics were performed to characterize our sample and show the distribution of service types. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify salient organizational (job satisfaction: communication, contingent rewards, fringe benefits, operating conditions, and coworker; and training helpfulness) and individual characteristics (self-efficacy) that are associated with service integration, while controlling for demographic characteristics. Forty-four percent of participants (n = 70) integrated all four of the services: mental health, IPV, sexual health and mental health services. Training helpfulness (b = −2.48, p = 0.01), self-efficacy (b = 0.07, p < 0.01), and job satisfaction (b = −0.04, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with provision of integrated services. Specifically, elements of job satisfaction that were associated with integrated service provision included satisfaction with communication (b = −0.28, p < 0.01), coworkers (b = −0.29, p < 0.01), and pay (b = −015, p = 0.02). Findings elucidate areas for future investment for human services agency administrators and point to future areas of intervention that can bolster integrated service provision, thereby improve efficiency, cost effectiveness, and optimal maternal and child health care outcomes for at-risk populations.
