This study aims to serve as a measure and account of the disparity in psychosocial stress among mothers in the Southeastern United States. As racial relations continue to escalate, elucidating the lived experience of those affected by prejudice and structural violence will be invaluable in addressing issues of racial inequality. Understanding the intersectionality of the pressures and obstacles of motherhood and the nuances of Black identity within motherhood, contributes to how stress affects this population and ultimately may play a role in early life stress of infants of these mothers. A critical aspect of this research indicates the need to understand the ways in which social support, stress, and breastfeeding are inter-connected and the ways in which they synergize or buffer each other. As the period of infancy plays a vital role in how the
body’s endocrine and nervous system respond to the surrounding environment, understanding to what extent structural barriers synergize maternal stress during the early life period of infancy can inform as to which populations within the community are most vulnerable and which are buffered against such stress.
Results from this study are being shared with stake holders in the community, including public health officials, business owners, lactation works, and mothers in Athens,Ga. and programs which target women and children in the Athens, Georgia community. By better understanding the nuances of social support effectiveness and what factors enable exclusive breastfeeding we can better intervene and work towards supporting mothers, infants, and families. The importance of Black peer support for Black mothers demonstrates the need for further investment into these programs. Furthermore, ensuring the availability of Black peer counselors in the WIC program would also provide better breastfeeding outcomes for Black mothers in the South. As age and agency indicated a relationship with exclusive breastfeeding; we should further research he specific factors that supported these mothers in order to understand what policies, workplace and other, would support all mothers in exclusive breastfeeding. It is most likely that paid parental leave is a largely significant factor enabling older mothers in exclusive breastfeeding. Parsing out factors associated with age would reveal if increased educational level, job seniority, or workplace accommodations associated with higher employment may be the synergistic factors. If we are to support all mothers and increase optimal infant feeding outcomes in the American South, ensuring that structural barriers are lowered across classes is of utmost necessity. For without equality in maternal support we cannot possibly hope to increase equality in health outcomes for the next generation.
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APPENDICES
Appendix A- Participant Survery Form
Sample #_________
SURVERY ON MATERNAL STRESS
***Please answer all questions honestly, all surveys are confidential and will only be seen by researchers.***
DIRECTIONS: write an answer to each question in the space provided. For multiple choice questions, circle the letter of the answer that corresponds to your answer.
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION 1. Age: ___________________ 2. Age of child(ren):_____________
3. How many people are in your family/household?_________________ 4. Monthly household income:____________
5. Are you employed outside the home?_________________________
5a. If so, how many hours a week do you work?________________________ 6. Do you perm, dye, or alter your hair with any other chemical
method?________________
6a. If yes, what method and how often:________________ 7. Do you identify as:
a. Black b. Non-Black
NUTRITIONAL HABITS
1. How do you feed your child? a. Breastfeed exclusively
b. Breastfeed, but supplement with formula c. Breastfeed alongside solid food feeding d. Child only consumes solid food
2. Have you breastfed THIS child in the past, but no longer breastfeed? ___________________________
**** If no proceed to question 3.
2a. IF yes, how long ago did you stop breastfeeding? (month/year)_______________ 2b. Was there a medical issue that caused you to discontinue breastfeeding? If so, please state.____________________________________________________________ 2c. Before stopping breastfeeding did you seek assistance from anyone (pediatrician, lactation counselor, La Leche League, friend, family member,
etc?)_______________________________________ 3. Do you receive any type of nutritional assistance?
a. Food stamps/EBT b. WIC vouchers
c. Receive donations from a food pantry
d. Other(please state)___________________________________________________ 4. In the past 12 months, has food security been an issue for you and your family? If so,
please state which months
(month/year)?_______________________________________________________ 5. Do you or your child have any of the following illnesses or special nutritional
requirements? (circle all) a. Diabetes
b. Heart disease
c. Food allergies which require purchasing higher priced groceries and/or formula d. Vegetarian/vegan
e. Child must use feeding tube/cannot feed orally f. Other:_____________
6. How much does you and/or your child’s nutrition or food intake stress you? a. Nutrition is one of my biggest stresses in life
b. I worry about our nutrition often, but not always
c. I am somewhat concerned about what/how much my child and I eat d. I am rarely worried about our nutrition
e. I never worry about our nutrition/food intake BREASTFEEDING
***If you have EVER breastfed your child(ren), fill out this section, if you have never breastfed your chil(ren) proceed to question 1 of the social section***
1. IF you supplement, with which foods and how
2. Do you pump breastmilk for you child ever? If yes, how often and
where?___________________________________________________________
3. If you pump while working at your job, are you provided a clean area (not a restroom) that is private to pump in? where?____________________________________
3. Has your child weaned? If so please provide date (month/year) of the last time you breastfed. _________________
SOCIAL
1. Have you ever attended a peer support group for mothers? (i.e. playgroup/mothers group at a church, Reblossom play group, BLOOM community space mother’s groups, Athens mother’s center group, St. Mary’s breastfeeding support group, La Leche League meeting, etc)______________________________________________
1a. If yes, how many times? a. Once
b. 2-5 times
c. I attend regularly (once a month or more) d. Never
1b. Date you began attending support group (if applicable)?____________ 1c. Date you stopped attending support group (if applicable)?____________
2. Did you plan to breast feed before your child was born? a. yes
b. no
3. Was your partner/significant other supportive of your plan of how to feed your child? a. Completely opposed
b. Somewhat opposed c. Somewhat supportive d. Completely supportive
4. Were other female members of your family supportive of your plan of how to feed your child?
a. Completely opposed b. Somewhat opposed c. Somewhat supportive d. Completely supportive
a. Completely opposed b. Somewhat opposed c. Somewhat supportive d. Completely opposed
6. If any of your friends or family were opposed to your choice in how you would feed your child, please state their reason?
________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
The following questions ask about your feelings and thoughts during THE PAST MONTH. In each question, you will be asked HOW OFTEN you felt or thought a certain way. Although some of the questions are similar, there are small differences between them and you should treat each one as a separate question. The best approach is to answer fairly quickly. That is, don t try to count up the exact number of times you felt a particular way, but tell me the answer that in general seems the best. For each statement, please tell me if you have had these thoughts or feelings: never, almost never, sometimes, fairly often, or very often. (Read all answer choices each time) Never Almost Never Sometimes Fairly Often