PREVIEW

Randomized controlled trial of a home-visiting intervention on infant cognitive development in peri-urban South Africa

June 12, 2019
Authors: Joan Christodoulou, Joan Christodoulou, Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, Alexandra K. Bradley, Mark Tomlinson
Organization: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a home visiting intervention had the same affect on improving caregiving quality with mothers who expressed a depressed mood at birth.  Mothers were randomly assigned to home visiting or standard postnatal care and their interaction with children was assessed three years post-partum.  Findings showed that home visiting resulted in a better quality of caregiving for mothers without depressive symptoms.   Results suggest that mothers with depressive systems need to receive specifically targetted interventions to ensure positive mother–child interactions.