New Mothers Network: the development of an Internet-based social support intervention for African American mothers

Abstract

Many single, low-income, African American mothers lack social support, experience psychological distress, and encounter difficulties caring for their infants during the transition to parenthood. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of a theoretically-based social support Internet intervention, the New Mothers Network, for improving single, low-income, African American mothers' health and parenting abilities. Conceptual and practical information is provided to describe the evolution of the intervention. The development of the New Mothers Network is described in six stages. The New Mothers Network may be an effective social support nursing intervention for improving single, low-income, African American mothers' psychological health outcomes, parenting outcomes, and health care utilization outcomes.