Mental Health and Healthcare

Research has indicated that those with poor mental health may be more likely to utilize healthcare, perhaps inappropriately. BioPop research seeks to better understand the relationship between mental health and physical health outcomes (at the individual and population and familial level), and to understand how mental health affects health care utilization and expenditures.

The Impact of Antepartum Mental Health Problems on Long-Term Health and Economic Outcomes of Mothers and their Children
Funded by the Institute for Research on Poverty

Drs. Whitney Witt and Thomas DeLeire lead a program of research to examine the impact of antepartum mental health problems on proximate and long-term outcomes of mothers and their children. The primary goal of this research is to better understand the impact of women’s self-reported poor mental health status and conditions during pregnancy on health -related outcomes among mothers and their children. Understanding these relationships is essential to improving the mental health of pregnant women as well as that of women and children in the postnatal period. These studies use a nationally representative population based sample of pregnant women in the US.

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Treatment of Maternal Depression and the Impact on Children’s Mental Health and Use of and Expenditures for Healthcare
Funded by the Ambulatory Pediatric Association Young Investigators Grant Program

Dr. Whitney Witt is leading a series of studies that examine the role of treatment for maternal depression and the subsequent effect on children’s mental health outcomes and use of and expenditures for healthcare. Maternal depression results in adverse health and mental health outcomes among children and is hypothesized to be associated with children’s increased use of and payments for healthcare. Primary health and mental healthcare systems have the potential to meet the psychosocial needs of family members and may reduce children’s over-utilization of healthcare. Therefore, this study will also look at the mothers’ receipt of mental healthcare and how such services impact children’s mental health outcomes and the use of general health services.

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