Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), typically defined as occurring during pregnancy or the first year postpartum, can have lasting negative impacts on maternal and child health. Overcoming barriers to treatment access and choosing effective, individualized treatments for postpartum women is key. Recent research highlights several insights and promising non-traditional treatments for PMADs. Informal psychosocial support is an effective intervention for many mothers, and several nonprofessional community- and home-based interventions show positive results. Unstructured, non-directive social support can be an essential component of care aimed at reducing PMADs.

There is a need for measuring the impact of interventions that can reach more women via these nontraditional intervention modalities. A local community organization, MomsBloom, offers an approach that may help alleviate PMADs symptoms and reduce their prevalence. MomsBloom places volunteers in the homes of parents of newborns to provide help with childcare, complete household tasks, and offer social support. Through a collaboration with the Kirkhof College of Nursing, a Doctor of Nursing project will help determine if the organization’s volunteer program impacts PMADs rates among parents served by MomsBloom. The project assesses trends in PMADs symptoms, self-reported support, and stress levels before and after parents receive the volunteer services.