Effect of Home-Based Peer Support on Maternal-Infant Interaction and Postpartum Depression

Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy

Status: Completed

Conditions: Postpartum Depression

Treatments: Behavioral: mci guidance peer support

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00298311

PPD MOD

Details and patient eligibility

About

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of a home-based peer support intervention for mothers affected by postpartum depression (PPD) and for their infants.

Full description

This controlled study will help establish the link between support for maternal caregiving, maternal-infant interaction, infant neuroendocrinology and infant cognitive and social development. The primary hypothesis predicts that home-based peer support will improve maternal-infant interactions. Secondary hypotheses predict that home-based peer support will: improve infants' cognitive development; improve infants' social development; decrease average daily salivary cortisol levels in infants; reduce maternal depressive symptomatology; and improve maternal perceptions of social support.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: Female

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Eligible mothers will be identified as experiencing symptoms of PPD and scores >12 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.
• Mothers must speak English or French.
• Mothers will not be excluded for taking anti-depressant or anti-psychotic medication, using other interventions for PPD, or reporting a history of mental illness;
• The infant must be full-term, in the care of the mother and between 3 to 6 months of age at initial enrollment.

Exclusion criteria

• Infants who have been admitted to the NICU
• Infants will be excluded if medicated with corticosteroids

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

mci guidance & peer social support

Experimental group

Description:

home visits to promote maternal-child interaction \& social support

Treatment:

Behavioral: mci guidance peer support

peer social support

Sham Comparator group

Description:

social support

Treatment:

Behavioral: mci guidance peer support