Structural and Community Approaches to Understanding and Addressing Parental Mental Health In the Perinatal Period

Parental mental health concerns, particularly during the perinatal and early childhood periods, are widely recognized as critical public health issues with implications for parental well-being, parent-child bonding, child development, and family functioning (England & Sim, 2012; World Health Organization, 2016). However, dominant approaches within research, policy, and practice continue to conceptualize these concerns primarily as individual-level conditions, emphasizing diagnosis and individual mental health treatment (Howard & Khalifeh, 2020).

While these strategies are important, they often overlook the broader social and structural conditions that shape parental mental health risk and recovery, such as poverty, discrimination, inequalities in social capital, disparities in access to various forms of mental health care, inadequate social safety net programs, gendered expectations of caregiving, and systemic inequities (Heshmati et al., 2023; Levy & Itzhaky, 2016; Maxwell et al., 2018; Simhi & Yoselis, 2022; Sonnenburg & Miller, 2021). This roundtable invites critical reflection on how parental mental health concerns in the perinatal period are currently conceptualized and addressed within social work and allied fields, and how these conceptualizations influence broader intervention strategies. The scholars participating in this roundtable are from different institutions and regions and conduct research in a variety of service sectors. They also work with mothers, fathers, and other caregivers impacted by mental health concerns.

The first presenter will discuss the intersections of economic hardship and maternal mental health in the perinatal period, highlighting mechanisms through which economic precarity may shape risk and recovery. Drawing on emerging evidence, this presenter will highlight the limited integration of economic empowerment approaches within current maternal mental health treatment and propose directions for re-envisioning interventions for low-income mothers that integrate critical economic supports. The second presenter will highlight the unique needs of postpartum women living in rural areas and discuss how reproductive landscapes, defined as the geographic and social organization of reproductive health resources, shape recommendations for postpartum mental health care in rural settings. The third presenter will highlight non-birthing parents who are also at heightened risk of mood and anxiety disorders in the perinatal period and add consideration of systems-level factors related to fathers as they navigate the transition to parenthood. This presenter will discuss examples of more inclusive approaches to addressing mental health for all expectant and new parents, and how these approaches can improve outcomes for parents, babies, and families. The fourth and fifth presenters will provide an overview of relevant community-level theories that can be applied to better understand parental mental health concerns. They will discuss the importance of taking a community-focused lens in parental mental health, particularly by emphasizing community resilience, social capital, a sense of belonging to the community, and participating in community activities as important factors in parental mental health.

This roundtable will also invite audience discussion on how integrating social and structural determinants into conceptualizations of parental mental health can inform more equitable and effective intervention strategies to advance the common good and ensure all parents can thrive.