Parenting Enhancement, Interpersonal Psychotherapy to Reduce Depression in Low-Income Mothers of Infants and Toddlers: A Randomized Trial

Depressive symptoms and clinical depression are highly prevalent in low-income mothers and negatively affect their infants and toddlers

Short-term in-home intervention reduces depressive symptoms in early head start Latina mothers of infants and toddlers

Depressive symptoms may compromise the ability of low-income Latina mothers with limited English language proficiency to parent their infants or toddlers. Eighty Early Head Start Latina mothers with limited English language proficiency were randomized to an advanced practice nurse-delivered, culturally tailored, in-home psychotherapy intervention, or to usual care. Repeated measures regression analysis showed a significantly greater decrease in depressive symptoms for intervention mothers compared to the usual care group at 22 and 26 weeks (4 weeks post intervention). Intervention mothers’ reports of their child's aggression diminished significantly from T1 to T4 compared to usual care mothers (p= .03). Self-efficacy appeared to only partially mediate the intervention effect, and maternal health moderated the intervention impact. Results indicate that the intervention reduced depressive symptoms and, compared to previous studies in this population, retention of mothers in both intervention and control conditions was improved

Interpersonal Psychotherapy With a Parenting Enhancement Adapted for In-Home Delivery in Early Head Start.

Formidable barriers prevent low-income mothers from accessing evidence-based treatment for depressive symptoms that compromise their ability to provide sensitive, responsive parenting for their infant or toddler. Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), an evidence-based psychotherapy for depression, was tailored for in-home delivery to mothers navigating economic hardship and other intense Stressors, and for Latina mothers with limited English language proficiency. Psychiatric-mental health nurses delivered the adapted IPT in randomized clinical trials that were conducted in partnership with Early Head Start (EHS). The authors discuss the results of these studies and the impacts on EHS staff members and programs, and they provide additional implications for current early childhood-focused programs