A new touchscreen application developed to support Aboriginal mothers and fathers in giving their babies the best start in life will be trialled across Australia.

Murdoch University’s Baby Coming – You Ready? project, which aims to close the gap in mothers’ social and emotional care, has received $250,000 in Federal funding to assist in rolling the program out nationally.

Baby Coming—You Ready? breaks new ground by providing mental health screening in a format that’s relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and fathers, while improving birth and development opportunities for their children.

The interactive program uses illustrations on an iPad, phone or laptop to open up and guide dialogue between expectant parents and doctors and nurses about how they are coping in the lead-up to their child’s birth.

Young parents testing the program have reported a sense of security and trust being fostered by the two-way assessment tool which screens for perinatal (antenatal) and postnatal depression.

‘Baby Coming – You Ready?’ is based on a research project conducted at Murdoch University by PhD student Jayne Kotz with Aboriginal mothers and fathers from around the State, called 'Kalyakool Moort – Always Family'.

The tool was designed as an alternative model to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and is part of an early intervention strategy for expectant parents.

Anxiety and distress higher in Aboriginal mothers

Research shows that Aboriginal women experience significantly higher levels of anxiety and distress than non-Aboriginal women of the same age during pregnancy.

Clinical guidelines are in place for screening and caring for women with perinatal depression. However, research by Murdoch University in 2015-16 showed that indicators used to identify peri-and post-natal depression were not culturally appropriate for Aboriginal women and failed to identify those at risk.

Ms Kotz said Aboriginal people were traditionally not well screened during the perinatal period, and there was no evidence the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), which was developed in Scotland 40 years ago, was effective or culturally safe for Aboriginal families.

Aboriginal mothers and fathers were often younger than their non-Aboriginal counterparts and faced sometimes complex emotional, financial and relationship issues on top of sleep disturbances, low mood and low energy, she said

"It’s important that young Aboriginal families get better access to support which makes them feel heard and which involves them in the dialogue,” Ms Kotz said. “The feedback we are receiving is that participants in the pilot project feel safer in opening up. They appreciate the plain language adopted and feel more in control and involved in the process.

“They have also indicated that they are more likely to attend their antenatal appointments if this new model is adopted.”

Increasing trust and understanding

Through open engagement and self-assessment, the program aims to give control of her pregnancy care back to the mother. It also will increase trust and understanding between clinicians and their patients and guide future policies for the health of mothers and babies.

The two-year, national study is a collaboration between the university and Aboriginal communities, with expressions of interest from Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Baby Coming—You Ready? was developed as a collaboration between members of the Aboriginal community, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers and clinicians.

The total value of the Baby Coming—You Ready? project is over $1.2 million including support from the Western Australian Government, the Ian Potter Foundation, the Health Department of WA, the West Australian Primary Health Alliance, Lotterywest and Murdoch University.

CAPTION: Baby Coming - You Ready? project researchers Vice Chancellor Eeva Leinonen, Professor Rhonda Marriott and Member for Jandakot Yaz Mubarakai