Prudential Financial: On the Horizon – Deeper Support for New Moms

NEWARK, New Jersey, May 30 (TNSres) -- Prudential Financial, a financial services company, issued the following news:

New research from Prudential's Group Insurance team underscores the mental health challenges many women face after giving birth.

Delivering a baby is one of the most common reasons women file a short-term disability claim. And while the claims process may be considered straightforward, the post-pregnancy period can have a substantial impact on maternal mental health.

Through new research timed to May's Disability Insurance Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, Prudential's Group Insurance aims to spotlight the challenges faced by new mothers.

The rationale

Dr. Kristin Tugman, vice president of Health and Productivity and Holistic Wellness for Group Insurance, conducted this research as part of efforts to improve the journey of new mothers.

"Our learnings can directly influence the design of our claims process experience and enhancements to our disability and absence management products," Dr. Tugman explains. "The goal is to meaningfully support U.S. parents during what can be a challenging period of transition."

Her own maternity leave influenced this research. One day back at work after her six-week leave, she had a cold, was exhausted and found herself distracted while doing a routine task. "What if this is too hard?" she wondered. "I realized there is a psychological component to every leave from work," she says. "I want to be sure we acknowledge and provide support for the whole perinatal journey -- from pregnancy through one year postpartum -- including returning to work."

The statistics

After giving birth, 20% of new mothers experience significant psychological difficulties, and most of them don't receive a diagnosis, much less treatment, according to 2022 research by Hilary Waller, author of The Perinatal Patient. Dr. Tugman surveyed Prudential employees to determine how that aligned with their own experiences.

More than 800 U.S. Prudential employees who are also birth mothers responded. The results:

* Nearly 60% had a somewhat or very difficult perinatal experience.

* 48% experienced persistent mental health challenges.

* Only 25% sought mental health care.

* 44% of respondents said they were not adequately prepared for mental health challenges.

The takeaways

To support the mental and physical health of their employees, and ultimately help them to return to work prepared to be productive and engaged, Dr. Tugman outlines steps employers can implement:

* Manager sensitivity training to promote mental health awareness, flexibility and inclusivity in the workplace.

* Resources for mothers, and their family members, that include access to mental, social, financial and physical health care.

* Access to adequate education about the perinatal experience.

* Adequate paid time off with significant flexibility in the first year.

* Access to community resources like business resource groups. (Note: The Generations business resource group launched a new organization last year called Pru Parents, designed to support caregivers through all stages.)

Creating a supportive environment for employee caregivers has long been a priority for Prudential, with an eye toward continually enhancing the benefits and resources available. Current benefits for new parents include access to extra backup care, a lactation kit, a prenatal kit, lactation rooms in select Prudential offices, mental health support and more. And starting this month, employees will have access to the NeuroFlow app upon approval of their disability claims, including maternity leave.

NeuroFlow -- also available for all Group Insurance Short Term Disability customers -- screens eligible users for depression and anxiety symptoms, sleep problems, and stress factors under the supervision of a clinician. Throughout the process, users are provided with content specific to their individual needs. The app's new pregnancy and postpartum pathways offer interactive education for both mothers and spouses, and a mental health hotline to help mothers during every step of their pregnancy.

What's next?

"The mental health crisis continues to escalate, and perinatal mental health is a unique and often overlooked component of that crisis," says Dr. Tugman. "Being able to shed light on it and provide resources and support to our claimants is the work that keeps me coming back every day."

What is disability insurance, exactly?

You might think it only applies to physical illnesses and accident-related injuries, but its coverage is much broader: Pregnancy, orthopedic conditions that have a level of impairment, and cancer diagnoses can be considered disabilities. Behavioral health conditions can also be considered disabilities -- and in fact are expected to be among the leading causes of disability by 2030, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are two types of disability insurance: short-term disability insurance (which may begin paying within two weeks of your disability and can last up to two years) and long-term disability insurance (after a waiting period of weeks or months, it may pay for several years or for the rest of your life).

Find Dr. Tugman's full research report "It Takes a Village: Maternity Leave and the Importance of Employer Support" here (https://bit.ly/3R0wVVu).

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Original text here: https://news.prudential.com/latest-news/feature-stories/feature-stories-details/2024/On-the-horizon-deeper-support-for-new-moms/default.aspx