HERE Center

Why The Pandemic Took An Especially High Mental Health Toll On New Parents - Featuring Dr. Kacie Blackman

August 8, 2022

 

Dr. Kacie Blackman, one of our cluster faculty members, was recently featured on an LAist article related to parenting and mental health! The article goes into detail about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on new parents' mental health. 

"It shouldn't be that hard to find this information…. You really have to take the initiative," said Blackman, an assistant professor of health sciences at the Health Equity Research and Education Center at Cal State Northridge. She added that she wished mental healthcare was baked into standard care during pregnancy and after birth.

She said that’s especially true because for some new parents, they might not even think that they are dealing with anxiety or depression and shy away from getting any sort of mental health support. But she said it might help parents to acknowledge that pregnancy and birth are life-altering.

If you’d like to check out the article, access the link below:

https://laist.com/news/health/postpartum-depression-and-mood-disorders-up-in-the-pandemic