Identifying and Treating Maternal Depression
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Yale University School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
Depression
Well-child clinic
Minority women with children |
PROJECT
Women receive screening and treatment for maternal depression in the context of their children’s health care.
Mothers at a pediatric clinic that provides care primarily for minority and high-risk populations are screened for depression during a regularly-scheduled office visit. Following the depression screening, a behavioral health clinician conducts a brief diagnostic interview at the clinic or home of mothers who were found to have symptoms of depression. Patients are invited to participate in six sessions of cognitive behavioral group therapy and case management. The group therapy sessions aim to help mothers develop skills to manage their depressive symptoms, handle life stress and improve their mother-child relationship.
RATIONALE
Pediatric primary care centers may be an important setting where mothers with depression can be diagnosed and treated: during the first three years of a child’s life, families frequently visit pediatricians, who may be the only medical professional to have regular contact with the family.
Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to significantly reduce symptoms of depression in low-income mothers and in mothers whose children have behavioral health problems. The brief group therapy provided in this study allows effective short-term treatment for depression to be provided in a primary care setting, allowing mothers to be treated at their pediatrician’s office, during their child’s check-up. Locating treatment at the pediatrician’s office may increase comfort and at times may remove logistical barriers to care.
EVALUATION PLAN
Funded by Finding Answers in 2006.
Researchers are screening mothers for depressive symptoms during regular pediatric visits. Mothers diagnosed with moderate to severe depressive symptoms after clinical interviews and home visits are being stratified by depression severity, then randomized to receive either short-term group cognitive behavioral therapy and case management, or case management alone. Women in both groups are being assessed at baseline, every two weeks for a total of six weeks, at the end of treatment at eight weeks, and two months later. Maternal assessments include measures of depression symptoms, other mental health challenges, environmental stressors and challenges, and treatment satisfaction. In addition to measuring the improvement in mothers’ depressive symptoms, the study is also assessing improvement in behavioral health problems in children.
Principal Investigators:
- Dr. Carol Weitzman
- Dr. Kim Yonkers
For More Information
Please Contact:
Carol Weitzman, MD
carol.weitzman@yale.edu |
