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A THERAPEUTIC PLAYGROUP FOR DEPRESSED MOTHERS AND THEIR INFANTS: FEASIBILITY STUDY AND PILOT RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF COMMUNITY HUGS
Author(s) -
Ericksen Jennifer,
Loughlin Elizabeth,
Holt Charlene,
Rose Natalie,
Hartley Eliza,
Buultjens Melissa,
Gemmill Alan W.,
Milgrom Jeannette
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/imhj.21723
Subject(s) - psychoeducation , randomized controlled trial , anxiety , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , intervention (counseling) , psychology , mental health , psychiatry , medicine , economics , macroeconomics
Symptoms of depression negatively impact on mother−infant relationships and child outcomes. We evaluated a novel, 10‐session mother−infant therapeutic playgroup—Community HUGS (CHUGS)—which combines cognitive and experiential components through psychoeducation, play, music, and movement. Participants were mothers experiencing a range of postnatal mental health difficulties, including depression, with infants ≤12 months of age. However, the aim was not to treat maternal depression but to ameliorate associated problems in the mother−infant interaction. In the feasibility study, all participants received CHUGS. In the pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT), participants were randomized between intervention and a wait‐list. Outcomes were the Parenting Stress Index (PSI; R.R. Abidin, 1995), Parenting Sense of Competency Scale (Self‐Efficacy subscale; J. Gibaud‐Wallston & L.P. Wandersman, 1978), and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales (P.F. Lovibond & S.H. Lovibond, 1995). In the feasibility study ( n = 74), PSI scores dropped on all subscales, all p s < .01. Depression, p < .001, anxiety, p = .01, stress, p = .01, and self‐efficacy, p < .001, all showed improvements, as did observer‐rated mother−infant interactions, p < .001. In the RCT, depression, p < .001, anxiety, p = .005, and stress, p < .001, symptoms were significantly reduced for intervention participants ( n = 16), as compared to wait‐list participants ( n = 15). The CHUGS program had high participant satisfaction and produced improvements in self‐efficacy, depression, anxiety, stress, and mother−infant interactions that supported the program's acceptability and the utility of further rollout.