New project aims to better support teen mothers in Adams County

WCPO highlighted a partnership between the University of Cincinnati and the Adams County Health Department that is aiming to provide better support for teen mothers in the county.

“There's no really designated mental health services directly for teen moms,” Kaitlyn Bruns, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience in UC's College of Medicine, told WCPO.

Adams County, Ohio has a higher teen birth rate compared to the national average, and Bruns said rural areas tend to have higher rates than urban ones.

“When I'm working with teen moms in particular, they're really lost,” she said. “They don't know how to navigate the system.”

Bruns is now leading focus groups in Adams County to learn more about the experiences and challenges teen mothers are facing. A formal support group is planned to begin in the coming months.

“That’s kind of what we’re hoping the project and their program will do is provide that social support, so they're not isolated,” Bruns said.

Read or watch the WCPO story.

Featured photo at top of a pregnant woman. Photo/Cassidy Rowell/Unsplash.