Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

While the literature has shown that health care use is associated with mental health status in low-income women, little is known about the relationship between maternal mental health status and their children's health care use. This study examined the association of maternal mental health and pediatric health care for a nationally representative sample of 17,830 women parenting children ages 0-17 who were insured through Medicaid or SCHIP. Logistic regression models, controlling for race, poverty level, number of children in the household, family structure and level of education, were estimated for measures of health care use, including preventive and emergency care, and parenting coping and supports. Despite the fact that mothers with mental health problems were significantly poorer, single parents, with less education and often with more children in the household than mothers without health problems, they reported little difference in the receipt of pediatric health care for their children. Thus, contrary to research that identifies mothers with mental health issues at greater risk for negative parenting outcomes, this study reveals that these mothers have real resilience when it comes to ensuring the well-being of their children. Mothers with mental health problems were, however, significantly more likely to report that they were not coping well with parenting and had no one to turn to for help with parenting. These results emphasize the need for social work interventions to address the isolation and difficulty coping with the demands of parenting experienced by mothers with mental health problems.