Medical-Legal Partnership Impact on Parents' Perceived Stress: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Stress has adverse effects on health, and prolonged stress exposure is a risk factor for several mental and physical illnesses.1 Felitti V, Anda R, Nordenberg D, et al. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. Am J Prev Med. 1998;14(4):245–258. doi:10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] Families living in poverty face many stressors created and maintained by economic hardship and unaddressed legal and social needs. Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLPs) aim to improve health and well-being by addressing health-harming legal and social needs of patients. This pilot study examined whether MLP-involved parents perceived themselves as stressed; to what they attributed their stress; and whether they reported a reduction in stress when their MLP cases were closed. The study shows improvements in perceived stress following receipt of MLP interventions.