Racial Identity Clusters and Their Relation to Postpartum Maternal Functioning in Black Women.

OBJECTIVES: Racial identity, which is the degree that individuals define themselves regarding their racial group membership, may influence the mental well-being of Black adults. To gain an understanding of the role Black racial identity may have on postpartum mental health, the researchers performed a secondary data analysis to examine the relationship between six Black racial identity clusters (Low Race Salience, Assimilated and Miseducated, Self-Hating, Anti-white, Multiculturalist, and Conflicted) and postpartum maternal functioning in Black women living in Georgia. METHODS: Black women completed Cross's Racial Identity Scale, the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning, and demographic questionnaires online via Qualtrics®. PARTICIPANTS: A total sample of 116 self-identified Black postpartum women were included in the analysis. Women ranged in age from 18 to 41 years (M = 29.5 ± 5.3) and their infants were 1 to 12 months old (M = 5.6 ± 3.5). The majority of women were married/cohabitating with their partner (71%), had a college degree (53%), and employed (69%). RESULTS: It was determined through Kruskal Wallis test, χ2(5) = 20.108, p < 0.05, that the women belonging to the Assimilated and Miseducated cluster had higher levels of maternal functioning when compared to the women in the Self-Hating and Anti-white clusters. CONCLUSION: This study is novel in its exploration of the relationship between Black racial identities and postpartum maternal functioning. Findings support the need for further research with larger sample and cluster sizes to determine the relationship between racial identity and maternal functioning.

Labor Support during the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States.

PURPOSE: To describe the experiences of registered nurses and certified nurse midwives who provided labor support and care in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive, qualitative approach was used to explore nurses' and midwives' perceptions via in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed via thematic analysis. RESULTS: Thirteen nurses, four of whom were also midwives, participated in semi-structured interviews. All provided care during the first 9 months of the pandemic and represented seven states across the United States. The analysis revealed an overarching theme, A New World but still a Celebration. This overarching theme encompasses participants' accounts of trying to provide the same support, presence, and celebration while dealing with constant policy changes, the impact of limited family presence in labor, and their own fears and risks. Four sub-themes were identified: The Impact of Nursing during COVID-19; Challenges, Changes, and Consequences; Unexpected Benefits; and The Cost. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic saw unprecedented challenges for nurses. Practice changes due to these changing policies had negative and positive effects. Negative practices affected family support, decreased interprofessional collaboration, and caused shorter hospital stays for new mothers. Some positive aspects of practice changes included additional time for mother-newborn bonding due to restrictive visitation policies, increased initiation of breastfeeding, and focused patient education. Nurses across the United States are still coping with practice changes from the pandemic. Our study highlights the need to support nurses in adapting care in the midst of practice changes.

Rethinking Nursing Education and Curriculum Using a Racial Equity Lens.

BACKGROUND: Health educators are called on to dismantle health care inequities as they train future health care clinicians to deliver care that promotes equity, improves access to care, and actively addresses antiracism. METHOD: Through an Advanced Nursing Workforce grant by the Health Resources and Services Administration, a partnership was established with the Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement to provide training for health care clinicians and students on ways to SPEAK UP against implicit and explicit bias with an emphasis on maternal health. RESULTS: Dismantling racism is a continuous process. Activities included self-reflection, small group meetings, antiracism and bias training, and community engagement. CONCLUSION: Acknowledging that racism and health inequities exist and directly contribute to the rise in maternal and infant mortality is only the beginning. Rethinking nursing education, curriculum, and clinical care to train culturally responsive health care clinicians is required to address systemic and structural racism in health care. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(8):493-496.].