Researchers Find Perinatal Black Women are Underserved by Digital Mental Health Tools
Pregnant and postpartum Black women experience disproportionately higher rates of mental health challenges, and new research indicates that a one-size-fits-all approach to digital mental health tools and platforms is falling short for these women.
Vanessa Oguamanam has researched the correlation of digital tools and how often Black women in perinatal stages use them to improve their mental health.
According to the American Counseling Association, Black women are at higher risk for perinatal and postnatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) such as depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The risk for PMADs is estimated to be double that of the general population.
The problem has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic, says Oguamanam, a Ph.D. student in the School of Interactive Computing under the advisement of Associate Professor Andrea Parker (pictured). Oguamanam has spent most of her doctoral career researching technology designed to benefit the health of Black women.
Photo by Northeastern University
Researchers Facilitate Discussions on Women’s Health in Taboo Culture
In many countries around the world, cultural and religious taboos create environments that silence women and gender minorities and restrict access to health information.
But a team of graduate students within the School of Interactive Computing have explored how technology can help circumvent these barriers so that women can engage in freer communication on stigmatized health issues.
Hannah Tam, Karthik Bhat, and Priyanka Mohindra conducted research to study how safe spaces could be curated to support 35 women of Indian origin in discussing subjects that are otherwise considered taboo.
Neha Kumar, an associate professor who teaches jointly with the School of Interactive Computing and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, served as advisor to the students. Kumar is the director of the Tandem Lab, which works to explore cultural taboos and investigate their impact on health and well-being among women and gender minorities internationally.
Vanessa Oguamanam has researched the correlation of digital tools and how often Black women in perinatal stages use them to improve their mental health.
Oguamanam has spent most of her doctoral career researching technology designed to benefit the health of Black women.
Researchers Find Perinatal Black Women are Underserved by Digital Mental Health Tools
Pregnant and postpartum Black women experience disproportionately higher rates of mental health challenges, and new research indicates that a one-size-fits-all approach to digital mental health tools and platforms is falling short for these women.
According to the American Counseling Association, Black women are at higher risk for perinatal and postnatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) such as depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The risk for PMADs is estimated to be double that of the general population.
The problem has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic, says Vanessa Oguamanam, a Ph.D. student in the School of Interactive Computing under the advisement of Associate Professor Andrea Parker.
Vanessa Oguamanam has researched the correlation of digital tools and how often Black women in perinatal stages use them to improve their mental health.
Oguamanam has spent most of her doctoral career researching technology designed to benefit the health of Black women.
Researchers Find Perinatal Black Women are Underserved by Digital Mental Health Tools
Pregnant and postpartum Black women experience disproportionately higher rates of mental health challenges, and new research indicates that a one-size-fits-all approach to digital mental health tools and platforms is falling short for these women.
According to the American Counseling Association, Black women are at higher risk for perinatal and postnatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) such as depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The risk for PMADs is estimated to be double that of the general population.
The problem has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic, says Vanessa Oguamanam, a Ph.D. student in the School of Interactive Computing under the advisement of Associate Professor Andrea Parker.