Intervening with Chinese Immigrant Mothers Experiencing Postpartum Distress

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Interdisciplinary Centers, Units and Projects::Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF)::Fall Research Expo
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Nursing
Subject
Postpartum
Depression
Immigrant
Mothers
Chinese
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2025
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Author
Li, Debby
Xi, William
Yu, Effy Zhiyuan
Contributor
Rong, Linda
Chen , Belinda
Abstract

Chinese immigrant mothers in the U.S. often experience elevated postpartum distress due to cultural transition and language barriers. The Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC) program improves parental sensitivity and child outcomes across diverse groups, but its feasibility and acceptability among Chinese immigrant mothers remain unexamined. This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the ABC intervention in reducing postpartum distress and enhancing maternal sensitivity among Chinese immigrant mothers. Nine Chinese immigrant mothers with infants aged 2–12 months and self-reported postpartum distress were recruited from community networks. They were randomly assigned to either the 10-week home-visiting ABC intervention (n = 6) delivered by trained parent coaches or the Book of the Week (BOW) active control (n = 3) delivered by study staff. Maternal sensitivity and distress symptoms were assessed at pre- and post-intervention. Feasibility metrics (e.g., retention, attendance) were tracked during the intervention; acceptability was assessed through semi-structured post-intervention interviews with ABC mothers. Attendance and retention were high, with 100% completion in both groups. ABC mothers reported strong satisfaction and engagement. At post-intervention, compared to BOW, ABC mothers had significantly higher sensitivity (p = .004) and lower intrusiveness (p = .038). After adjusting for pre-intervention sensitivity, group effect on post-intervention sensitivity remained significant, F(1, 6) = 14.46, p = .009, partial η² = .707. Both groups showed reductions in postpartum distress. The ABC intervention is feasible and acceptable among Chinese immigrant mothers with postpartum distress and shows preliminary evidence of improving maternal sensitivity, supporting a subsequent fully powered RCT.

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2025-09-15
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This project was supported with funding from the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring (PURM) program.
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