Keywords
Florida; maternal mental health; affordability; socioeconomic status; social support; healthcare access
Abstract
The maternal health crisis is a prevalent and concerning issue in the United States. The lack of efficient availability and accessibility to health care services plays a significant role in augmenting this problem. One health care service that is often understudied is support groups, for prevalent issues like postpartum depression. Considering the socioeconomic burdens of low-income mothers, this paper analyzed the accessibility and availability of maternal health support groups across counties in Florida, with varying amounts of individuals below the federal poverty level (%BPL). Essentially, Florida counties were divided into one of four categories depending on their %BPL. A Fisher’s Exact Test was performed to see if there was an association between the category type and the number of counties in it that provided support groups. The study then conducted a thematic analysis on the highest-%BPL and lowest-%BPL counties’ support programs to study their accessibility (cost and transportation) to mothers. A significant association (P=0.0124) was found between the category type and the availability of support groups in that region, with the proportion of support groups decreasing from counties with low %BPL (categories 1 and 2) to counties with high %BPL (categories 3 and 4). Additionally, transportation and cost options were limited or made unavailable. This paper essentially found that apart from the mother’s individual SES, the community she lives in can contribute to the burden of finding proper health care resources. Additionally, limited accessibility of certain programs can take away from the positive value added by its availability.
Thesis Completion Year
2025
Thesis Completion Semester
Fall
Thesis Chair
Donley, Amy
College
College of Sciences
Department
Sociology
Thesis Discipline
Sociology
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
3 years
STARS Citation
Venkatesan, Radhika S., "Barriers to Postpartum Depression Treatment: Availability and Accessibility of Maternal Behavioral Health-Inclusive Support Groups for Low-Income Populations" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 469.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/469
Included in
Epidemiology Commons, Maternal and Child Health Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Women's Health Commons
Rights Statement
