Effects of an infant-focused relationship-based hospital and home visiting intervention on reducing symptoms of postpartum maternal depression: a pilot study
Nugent, J. K., Dym-Bartlett, J., Valim, C. (2014). Effects of an Infant-Focused Relationship-Based Hospital and Home Visiting Intervention on Reducing Symptoms of Postpartum Maternal Depression: A Pilot Study. Infants & Young Children, 27, 4, 292–304.
Abstract
Introduction: Relationship-based interventions are an effective means for reducing postpartum depression (PPD), but few cost-effective tools that can be administered efficiently in medical and home settings are available or well-studied. This study examines the efficacy of the Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO), an infant-centered relationship-based intervention, in reducing levels of postnatal maternal depression.
Methods: First-time mothers and their infants were recruited in the postpartum units of two New England hospitals and randomized into intervention and control groups. A total of 106 mothers participated in this study. At 1 month postpartum, symptoms of PPD were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).
Results: Ten of the 106 mothers reported elevated levels of depressive symptoms (EPDS score >12), with 4% in the intervention group and 16% in the control group. Results indicated that the NBO was associated with lowering the odds of depressive symptomatology by approximately 75%.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that the NBO conducted in hospital and home settings may be an efficient, cost-effective, relationship-based method for reducing the likelihood of PPD.