Reproductive Life Planning for Women With Mental Illness

Overview

Women represent the fastest growing population within the VHA. Many are of reproductive age and experience mental health concerns. Women with mental illness are at greater risk for unplanned pregnancy and poor pregnancy outcomes due to factors related to mental health and mental health treatment. Similarly, mental health concerns (e.g., impact of pregnancy on mental illness, psychiatric medications and pregnancy) can affect reproductive life goals and plans. Reproductive life planning (RLP) interventions that include considerations and concerns women Veterans with mental illness face are needed. The investigators adapted existing RLP materials to create an interactive, individualized, client-centered RLP intervention designed to help women Veterans with mental illness develop a mental health-informed reproductive life plan and reproductive life goals (RLP-MH). The current study aims to determine if the RLP-MH intervention is feasible and acceptable to women Veterans and if it increases engagement in behaviors to address RLP goals.

Many women Veterans are of reproductive age and, of those, a substantial number experience mental health concerns. Women Veterans with mental illness are at greater risk for unplanned pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes due to factors unique to mental illness and mental health treatment. In addition, mental health and mental health-related concerns associated with pregnancy (e.g. impact of pregnancy on mental health, psychiatric medication use during pregnancy) often affect reproductive life decisions and health outcomes. For these reasons, reproductive life planning (RLP), setting personal goals and plans regarding reproductive intentions, that incorporates considerations and addresses concerns specific to mental health conditions is particularly important for women with mental illness. Despite this need, women Veterans with mental illness rarely receive RLP, and current tools do not adequately consider or address the unique reproductive health considerations women with mental illness often experience. The investigators adapted existing RLP materials to create an interactive, client-centered RLP intervention specifically designed to address mental health considerations that can influence RLP decisions and outcomes in women Veterans with mental illness. Women Veterans work with a facilitator to explore pregnancy intentions and RLP goals; consider important factors that impact those goals (e.g. medical, mental health or psychosocial concerns); and identify steps to address their RLP goals. As such, the RLP-MH intervention may empower women Veterans with mental illness to take an active role in their reproductive health and engage in behaviors that may improve reproductive outcomes. The goal of the proposed study is to pilot-test the RLP-MH intervention in women Veterans with mental illness to evaluate its feasibility and acceptability, and to explore its potential efficacy compared to provision of written materials on RLP (control condition).