The effectiveness of early intervention and the factors related to child behavioural problems at age 2: a randomized controlled trial.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of early home-based intervention as a community health service and evaluate the influence of both early maternal depression and mother-infant relationships on child behavioral problems at age 2 in a longitudinal setting.

METHODS:
A randomized controlled trial was conducted in this study. A total of 95 mother-infant pairs were assigned randomly to intervention (48) or control (47) groups. The intervention group received monthly specific home visits between the infant ages of 5 and 9 months while the control group received only routine center-based services. Maternal depression and the mother-infant relationship were assessed by medical checkups at the ages of 4 and 10 months. Child behavioral problems were assessed at age 2.

RESULTS:
The intervention had no significant impact on child behavioral problems. However, for mothers who had a disturbed relationship with their infants, the rate of improvement in the quality of the relationship was higher in the intervention group. Disturbed mother-infant relationships at 10 months and early maternal depression significantly increased the risk of high scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).

CONCLUSIONS:
These findings indicate that intervention is most likely to have a positive impact on the quality of mother-infant relationships in cases where the relationship is disturbed and that a disturbed mother-infant relationship and maternal depression during infancy are relevant to the future mental health of the child. To prevent difficulties in child functioning, more prolonged interventions focusing on disturbed mother-infant relationships may be required.

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Author information

Author/s: Cheng, Shunyue (S); Kondo, Naoji (N); Aoki, Yutaka (Y); Kitamura, Yumi (Y); Takeda, Yasuhisa (Y); Yamagata, Zentaro (Z);

Affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, 1110 Shimokato, Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal: Early human development (Early Hum Dev), published in Ireland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Oct; vol 83 (issue 10) : pp 683-91

Dates: Created 2007/10/15; Completed 2008/03/17;

PMID: 17317044, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Child Behavior Disorders - prevention & control
Child, Preschool
Depression, Postpartum
Early Intervention (Education)
Female

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