Listening visits: an evaluation of the effectiveness and acceptability of a home-based depression treatment

Abstract

Maternal depression affects approximately one in five women, is undertreated, and compromises infant development. In the United Kingdom, public health nurses provide an empirically supported intervention (Listening Visits [LV]) to depressed postpartum women. This study evaluates the effectiveness of LV when delivered by U.S. home visitors. Nineteen women with depressive symptoms received LV. Pre-, post-, and follow-up assessments evaluated depression status, life satisfaction, and treatment acceptability. Listening Visits were associated with a statistically and clinically significant reduction in depression, improvement in life satisfaction, and were acceptable to this sample of postpartum women. The LV intervention shows considerable promise as an effective and acceptable depression treatment.