Beyond Mentoring: What Medical Students Learned from an Intervention Program with Teen Mothers Experiencing Homelessness

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2025.2211

Keywords:

Education, Stress, Homelessness, Adolescent, Parenting

Abstract

Background: Toxic stress from childhood trauma increases risk for chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Prior studies show that trauma’s effects can be buffered by compassionate caregiving. This study aimed to bring trauma-sensitive care to Worcester, train medical students as advocates for underserved groups, and assess how an intervention might influence biological and psychological stress in young mothers experiencing homelessness. Methods: Medical students, trained by a parenting coach, delivered an evidence-based parenting and mental health curriculum to teen mothers in a shelter. Data came from surveys, focus groups, and hair cortisol samples, with twelve women in the intervention and six in a comparison shelter. Results: Surveys, focus groups, and interviews suggested that mothers in the intervention felt more prepared to be supportive caregivers than those in the comparison group. Hair cortisol samples showed no significant changes. A focus group with medical students highlighted increased passion and confidence in advocating for young mothers. Conclusion: This pilot demonstrated feasibility and acceptability of workshops and mentoring for young women in shelters. Preliminary results suggest positive shifts in how unhoused mothers viewed parenting and mental health. Although the small sample limited statistical significance, the findings indicate promise for future studies exploring biopsychosocial impacts of such programs. Importantly, educating medical students may generate a ripple effect, as they carry forward skills and commitment to advocating for this diverse and often overlooked population in medical training.

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References

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This bar chart shows the median Trauma-Informed Parenting Scores for two groups (Intervention and Comparison) measured before and after. The Intervention group increased from 27.5 pre-intervention to 30 post-intervention, while the Comparison group decreased from 30.5 pre-comparison to 27 post-comparison.

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Published

2025-07-03

How to Cite

Adler, E., Powell, V., Cui, Z., Marchese, M., Groover, M., Condon, E., Ford, J., & Savageau, J. A. (2025). Beyond Mentoring: What Medical Students Learned from an Intervention Program with Teen Mothers Experiencing Homelessness. International Journal of Medical Students, 13(3), 233–243. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2025.2211

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2025)

Section

Original Article

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Copyright (c) 2025 Emily Adler, Victoria Powell, Zilin Cui, Mary Marchese, Morgan Groover, Eileen Condon, Jodi Ford, Judith Savageau

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