A6 - The Path Forward: Strategies to Support Mental Health for Young Adult Parents

The typed transcription of this session can be found HERE

Full Description: Mental health conditions are one of the most common health conditions in the U.S., with over half of the population experiencing a mental illness in their lifetime. For MCH professionals, addressing the mental health crisis is urgent: between 2007-2018, the youth suicide rate increased nearly 60%, and maternal suicide is the leading cause of death in the first year postpartum. This crisis converges for young adult parents: young adult parents are significantly more likely to experience a mental health challenge than older adult parents and the average onset of many serious mental illnesses is during young adulthood. Furthermore, our under-resourced mental health system leaves many mental health conditions among young parents untreated. Without treatment, mental health conditions often worsen, impacting not only parents, but their children and families as well. MCH professionals are acutely aware that mental health is a critical part of overall health and wellbeing, yet very few programs focus on young adult parents’ mental health. This session will focus on mental health support across the life course by highlighting opportunities for the MCH field to develop equitable mental health policies and programs for young adult parents.

This session will explore the current challenges and landscape of mental health among young adult parents, including persistent stigmatization of mental health and lack of accessible treatment options. AMCHP will present the results of an environmental scan to demonstrate strategies Title V programs are currently employing to support the mental health of this MCH population. A presenter from the Center for Law and Social Policy will describe the impact of racism and trauma on young adult parents’ mental health, including opportunities for MCH professionals to support the development of equitable mental health policy. A young adult presenter will share their perspective on opportunities to foster connectedness, destigmatize mental health, and promote access to needed mental health and parenting support among young adult parents. The session will close with a panel discussion on presenters’ vision for the future of mental health across the life course and strategies for state Title V programs to support innovation to address gaps in the mental health system. The session is rooted in a life course framework to demonstrate the value of upstream interventions supporting positive mental health in young adult parents as a prevention strategy for adverse childhood experiences, including future mental illness. This session is directly relevant to the conference theme as it will explore trends over time related to MCH mental health, the impact of racism on mental health, and innovations to promote positive mental health in young parents as a glimpse into the future of where MCH mental health is headed. This session aims to assist MCH professionals in developing strategies to better support the mental health of young adult parents.

Abbreviated Description: For MCH professionals, addressing the mental health crisis is urgent: from 2007-2018, the youth suicide rate increased nearly 60%, and maternal suicide is the most common cause of death in the first year postpartum. This crisis converges for young adult parents, who are significantly more likely to experience a mental health challenge than older adult parents. This session, which features presenters from AMCHP, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and the New Deal for Youth initiative, will highlight the impact of racism on young adult parents’ mental health, opportunities for public health professionals to support the development of equitable mental health policies and programs, and a young adult parent's vision for the future of mental health support across the life course.