Presenter Status
Resident/Psychology Intern
Abstract Type
Research
Primary Mentor
Hank Puls
Start Date
14-5-2025 11:30 AM
End Date
14-5-2025 1:30 PM
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Description
Background: Child maltreatment risk arises from a balance of risk and protective factors (PF). Prevention efforts — most notably evidence-based home visiting — focus on strengthening PF. Yet the prevalence of PF across maternal characteristics remains unknown.
Objectives: Compare frequency of PF against child maltreatment between mothers with and without risk factors for maltreatment and across race and ethnicity.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 480 English- and Spanish-speaking mothers prospectively enrolled during their birth hospitalizations at UH. Participants completed the validated Protective Factors Survey, 2nd Edition, which assessed domains of PF against child maltreatment on a 0–4 scale, with 4 being optimal: (1) Family Functioning/Resilience (FFR), (2) Nurturing/Attachment (NA), (3) Social Supports (SS), and (4) Concrete Supports (CS). Bivariate comparisons within each PF subscale were conducted and then dichotomized as optimal (=4) or suboptimal (< 4). Multivariable logistic regressions estimated adjusted associations between maternal characteristics with odds for optimal PF subscale scores.
Results: Mothers were most often aged 20–34 years (77.9%), English-speaking (69.4%), Black (41.3%), had a high school diploma/GED (37.5%), and income < $10,000 (46.0%; Table 1). Risk factors included inadequate prenatal care (13.3%), ≥2 mental health diagnoses (21.3%), positive depression screen (EPDS) (4.2%), illicit substance use (2.9%), intimate partner violence (IPV) (8.1%), and prior child protective services (CPS) involvement (7.5%; Table 2). In adjusted analyses, Mothers with positive postnatal depression screening had lower odds of reporting optimal FFR (0.14 [95% CI 0.02, 0.51]) and mothers experiencing IPV had lower odds of reporting optimal CS (0.17 [95% CI 0.03, 0.58]; Figure). Compared to Hispanic mothers, Black mothers reported greater odds of optimal FFR (2.26 [95% CI 1.46, 3.54]) and SS (2.19 [95% CI 1.23, 3.93), while non-Hispanic White mothers reported greater odds of FFR (2.46 [95% CI 1.42, 4.28]) and SS (3.08 [95% CI 1.56, 6.16]), but lower odds of NA (0.52 [95% CI 0.27, 0.97]). (Figure).
Conclusions: PF varied across maternal ethnicity with Black and non-Hispanic White mothers generally reporting greater PF than Hispanic mothers. Independent of other maternal characteristics, mothers with depression and IPV had lower levels of PF. Prevention efforts aiming to promote PF should prioritize enrollment of these groups.
Protective Factors Against Child Maltreatment Among Postpartum Mothers
Background: Child maltreatment risk arises from a balance of risk and protective factors (PF). Prevention efforts — most notably evidence-based home visiting — focus on strengthening PF. Yet the prevalence of PF across maternal characteristics remains unknown.
Objectives: Compare frequency of PF against child maltreatment between mothers with and without risk factors for maltreatment and across race and ethnicity.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 480 English- and Spanish-speaking mothers prospectively enrolled during their birth hospitalizations at UH. Participants completed the validated Protective Factors Survey, 2nd Edition, which assessed domains of PF against child maltreatment on a 0–4 scale, with 4 being optimal: (1) Family Functioning/Resilience (FFR), (2) Nurturing/Attachment (NA), (3) Social Supports (SS), and (4) Concrete Supports (CS). Bivariate comparisons within each PF subscale were conducted and then dichotomized as optimal (=4) or suboptimal (< 4). Multivariable logistic regressions estimated adjusted associations between maternal characteristics with odds for optimal PF subscale scores.
Results: Mothers were most often aged 20–34 years (77.9%), English-speaking (69.4%), Black (41.3%), had a high school diploma/GED (37.5%), and income < $10,000 (46.0%; Table 1). Risk factors included inadequate prenatal care (13.3%), ≥2 mental health diagnoses (21.3%), positive depression screen (EPDS) (4.2%), illicit substance use (2.9%), intimate partner violence (IPV) (8.1%), and prior child protective services (CPS) involvement (7.5%; Table 2). In adjusted analyses, Mothers with positive postnatal depression screening had lower odds of reporting optimal FFR (0.14 [95% CI 0.02, 0.51]) and mothers experiencing IPV had lower odds of reporting optimal CS (0.17 [95% CI 0.03, 0.58]; Figure). Compared to Hispanic mothers, Black mothers reported greater odds of optimal FFR (2.26 [95% CI 1.46, 3.54]) and SS (2.19 [95% CI 1.23, 3.93), while non-Hispanic White mothers reported greater odds of FFR (2.46 [95% CI 1.42, 4.28]) and SS (3.08 [95% CI 1.56, 6.16]), but lower odds of NA (0.52 [95% CI 0.27, 0.97]). (Figure).
Conclusions: PF varied across maternal ethnicity with Black and non-Hispanic White mothers generally reporting greater PF than Hispanic mothers. Independent of other maternal characteristics, mothers with depression and IPV had lower levels of PF. Prevention efforts aiming to promote PF should prioritize enrollment of these groups.
