Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine researchers aim to reduce postpartum depression in rural mothers

A team of researchers with the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Health Sciences and Professions are talking with patients and health care providers to discover more about how postpartum depression is perceived and medically treated in Southeast Ohio. The team expects to conduct 12 focus groups with patients and care providers at OhioHealth Physician Group Heritage College Obstetrics and Gynecology in the hope that what’s learned will help more women get the care they need for postpartum depression. 

Currently, less than half of women who experience postpartum depression receive the necessary mental health care despite the devastating long and short-term health effects it can have on mothers and their children. If left untreated, side effects can include poor self-care, increased substance use and social, physical and developmental difficulties for the newborn child.

“We’ve had a partnership with OhioHealth providing mental health services to women with postpartum depression for over 10 years, and this is a way for us to improve our care delivery with a specific understanding of the needs of rural communities,” said Frances Wymbs, Ph.D., associate professor of Primary Care at Heritage College and the project’s lead investigator.

While there is a broad understanding of some of the challenges individuals living in rural communities face when accessing health care, such as a lack of transportation, there is little research related to postpartum depression to help providers better understand cultural norms, common beliefs and other barriers, which also influence whether patients seek treatment and if they do, given the lack of treatment options and stigma around mental health disorders, how successful their health outcomes will be.

“Research on rural communities has been limited, so we summarize findings from studies that have left out entire populations and communities–when in fact there might be some cultural norms or other needs that we're missing,” Wymbs said. “If you never assess rural communities, then we just don't know whether we can confidently say that findings from these wide-scale studies work for everyone.”

Given this issue, Wymbs and her team recognize the need to develop studies focusing on the needs of rural communities. However, before such studies can be carried out, researchers must understand what issues and solutions exist and who within the community is also interested in participating. This is the primary goal of Wymbs and her team with this project.

“This work is a sort of stepping stone–it’s a formal way for us to build infrastructure, with the goal of creating research partnerships among patients and providers,” said Wymbs.

Over two years, the research team will be holding focus groups bimonthly with patients and providers to gain a fuller understanding of how postpartum depression has been historically perceived, approached and treated. Additionally, a patient-centered research group will be formed to assess findings from the focus groups and examine trends in the conversations they have with patients, which could become the foundation for future research. A needs assessment will also be conducted to ensure the research group’s findings align with actual needs expressed by the community. All of this harkens to Wymbs’ ultimate long-term goal for this work.

“I hope to be able to understand the mental health needs of women in rural communities and be able to conduct patient-centered research with their engagement and partnership,” Wymbs said. “I hope to build something sustainable, where we have partners who we can openly communicate with as we work towards addressing postpartum depression in our region.”

In addition to Wymbs, co-investigators are Emily Guseman, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Primary Care; Jane Broecker, M.D., OhioHealth Obstetrics and Gynecology and associate professor in the Department of Specialty Medicine; Kelly Nottingham, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant clinical instructor with the College of Health Sciences and Professions at Ohio University. Funding for this work comes from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, which provided researchers a $210,000 grant award for improving maternal health in rural communities.

For those interested in getting involved with this project, the research team is actively seeking focus group participants. Participants must be women between the ages of 18 and 65 and be OhioHealth Physician Group Heritage College Obstetrics and Gynecology patients. Those who participate will receive a $75 Amazon gift card. For more information contact Wymbs at wymbsf@ohio.edu.