2011 The Palm Beach County Family Study (Full Report)

isk” compared to 44 percent of the TGA cohort. In the study sample, 94 percent of the mothers werescreened and 56 percent had screen scores that designated them to be “at risk.”At the same time, we previously found that 80 percent of the mothers in the baseline study samplereceived services from the MCHP system around the birth of their focal child. This suggests that riskscreen score was not the only criterion for receiving services. Most mothers received these services duringthe 3 months prior to and 6 months after their baby’s birth. A little more than a fourth of the mothers whoreceived intensive care coordination (61% of the sample) received services up to 9 months after theirbaby’s birth.We found some evidence that mothers with greater needs were more likely to receive services. Forexample, mothers who were teens at the birth of their focal child, mothers living in poverty, and thosewith a focal child with special needs were more likely to receive services. Although smoking duringpregnancy was associated with greater likelihood of receiving services in the county sample, it was notfor the study sample; mothers in the study sample who smoked during pregnancy were less likely toreceive services. Also, with respect to the study sample, we found that mothers with physical or mentalhealth problems or depressive symptoms were just as likely to receive services as not. Finally, we foundunexplained racial/ethnic and nativity differences related to the likelihood of receiving services in boththe county cohort and the study sample.Of the mothers who were “at risk” but did not receive services, a majority could not be located or MCHPstaff members were unable to complete the initial assessment. This suggests that making additional effortto locate these mothers and/or simplifying the assessment process might have resulted in more “at-risk”mothers receiving services.Finally, we found that, among mothers who received services, those who received more days of servicesmay have had greater needs. Specifically, mothers with more children, one or more child with specialneeds, and depressive symptoms or a physical/mental health problem received more days of services.With regard to using other formal services, most (94%) of the year 5 sample reported receiving help inmeeting basic family needs from at least one program, agency, or professional in the past year. In year 5,mothers received help for basic family needs from an average of three services, slightly more than allprevious year’s average numbers. Consistent with previous years of the study, mothers in the fifth yearreported receiving help most often with healthcare. Other areas of frequent assistance noted in the fifthyear were in the areas of dental care and childcare. Less than a third of the sample received help in anyother service area, with family planning, paying rent or bills, and housing as the next most frequent areasin which mothers reported receiving assistance.Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 104