ERIC Number: EJ945197
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Oct
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-006X
EISSN: N/A
Preventing Perinatal Depression in Low-Income Home Visiting Clients: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Tandon, S. Darius; Perry, Deborah F.; Mendelson, Tamar; Kemp, Karen; Leis, Julie A.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, v79 n5 p707-712 Oct 2011
Objective: To assess the efficacy of a 6-week cognitive-behavioral intervention in preventing the onset of perinatal depression and reducing depressive symptoms among low-income women in home visitation programs. Method: Sixty-one women who were pregnant or who had a child less than 6 months of age and who were assessed as at risk for perinatal depression were randomized to a 6-week, group-based cognitive-behavioral intervention or usual home visiting services. Study participants were predominately African American, unmarried, and unemployed. Intervention sessions were led by a licensed clinical social worker or clinical psychologist. Home visitors provided 1-on-1 reinforcement of key intervention messages between group sessions. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996), and major depressive episodes were measured with the Maternal Mood Screener (MMS; Le & Munoz, 1998). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 1 week and 3 months postintervention. Results: Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that there was a significant Time x Condition interaction, F(2, 112) = 4.1, p = 0.02. At 3 months postintervention, 9 of 27 (33%) women receiving usual care reported levels of depressive symptoms that met clinical cutoff for depression on the MMS compared with 3 of 32 (9%) women in the intervention condition, [chi][superscript 2](1, N = 59) = 5.18, p less than 0.05. Conclusion: This study provides preliminary data on the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention to prevent perinatal depression among home visiting clients and suggests it is feasible to embed such an intervention in home visitation programs. A larger trial is warranted to attempt to replicate study findings. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Intervention, Females, Home Visits, Depression (Psychology), Social Work, Prevention, Low Income Groups, Pregnancy, At Risk Persons, African Americans, Unemployment, Program Effectiveness, Comparative Analysis, Cognitive Restructuring, Behavior Modification, Perinatal Influences
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Maryland
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Beck Depression Inventory; Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A