Reducing the effects of maternal depression on the family: A study of the effectiveness of a short-term preventive intervention program
Description
Recognizing the risks to children growing up in homes with depressed mothers, this study investigated the effectiveness of a short-term preventive intervention program with a group of depressed women and their families. Three groups of ten families each were compared at pre and post testing on the Parent-Child Relationship Inventory and the Family Assessment Device. Group one families received a six-session family oriented intervention, group two families received a two hour lecture, and group three was composed of women who were receiving only treatment as usual for depression (individual therapy/medication management without a family focus). Goals of the intervention were to increase protective factors and resilience in families to reduce the risk of maternal depression The hypotheses predicted that group one would show more gains at post testing on important variables than groups two and three. It was also predicted that males and females would respond differently to the intervention with females responding more positively. Results indicated that both group one and two mothers benefitted from the interventions, showing statistically significant changes in the support, problem-solving, and roles subscales of the instruments, and non significant changes in other areas. Group three mothers showed no positive changes from pre to post testing. Fathers in groups one and two had erratic results with healthier scores at pre testing than at post testing. Group three fathers, who were never seen, scored in a healthy range at both pre and post testing. Practice wisdom suggests that group one and two fathers were made aware of the existence of problems in their families and became more negative over time due to this increased awareness. Group three fathers who had no awareness of the state of their families or wives' depression were able to maintain a state of blissful ignorance throughout the measurement period The results suggest that preventive interventions are helpful in reducing some of the risks to families and children of maternal depression. The more intensive intervention was not superior to the less intense lecture intervention which suggests that both formats may be useful depending on the needs of a particular family