Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2011 Aug;14(4):317-24.
doi: 10.1007/s00737-011-0222-6. Epub 2011 Jun 12.

Problem-solving education to prevent depression among low-income mothers of preterm infants: a randomized controlled pilot trial

Michael Silverstein  1 , Emily Feinberg, Howard Cabral, Sara Sauder, Lucia Egbert, Elisabeth Schainker, Karen Kamholz, Mark Hegel, William Beardslee
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Problem-solving education to prevent depression among low-income mothers of preterm infants: a randomized controlled pilot trial

Michael Silverstein et al. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

We sought to assess the feasibility and document key study processes of a problem-solving intervention to prevent depression among low-income mothers of preterm infants. A randomized controlled pilot trial (n = 50) of problem-solving education (PSE) was conducted. We assessed intervention provider training and fidelity; recruitment and retention of subjects; intervention acceptability; and investigators' ability to conduct monthly outcome assessments, from which we could obtain empirical estimates of depression symptoms, stress, and functioning over 6 months. Four of four bachelor-level providers were able to deliver PSE appropriately with standardized subjects within 4 weeks of training. Of 12 randomly audited PSE sessions with actual subjects, all met treatment fidelity criteria. Nineteen of 25 PSE subjects (76%) received full four-session courses; no subjects reported negative experiences with PSE. Eighty-eight percent of scheduled follow-up assessments were completed. Forty-four percent of control group mothers experienced an episode of moderately severe depression symptoms over the follow-up period, compared to 24% of PSE mothers. Control mothers experienced an average 1.19 symptomatic episodes over the 6 months of follow-up, compared to 0.52 among PSE mothers. PSE appears feasible and may be a promising strategy to prevent depression among mothers of preterm infants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow of subjects through randomized trial
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Survival analysis depicting time to symptomatic episode. Slashes above the survival plot depict the density of PSE sessions delivered over time
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Anderson CM, Robins CS, Greeno CG, Cahalane H, Copeland VC, Andrews RM. Why lower income mothers do not engage with the formal mental health care system: perceived barriers to care. Qual Health Res. 2006;16(7):926–943. - PubMed
    1. Barrett JE, Williams JW, Jr, Oxman TE, Frank E, Katon W, Sullivan M, Hegel MT, Cornell JE, Sengupta AS. Treatment of dysthymia and minor depression in primary care: a randomized trial in patients aged 18 to 59 years. J Fam Pract. 2001;50(5):405–412. - PubMed
    1. Behrman RE, Butler AS. Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences and Prevention Institute of Medicine Committee on Understanding Premature Births and Assuring Healthy Outcomes. National Academy of Sciences; 2006.
    1. Chow JC, Jaffee K, Snowden L. Racial/ethnic disparities in the use of mental health services in poverty areas. Am J Public Health. 2003;93(5):792–797. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ciechanowski P, Wagner E, Schmaling K, Schwartz S, Williams B, Diehr P, Kulzer J, Gray S, Collier C, LoGerfo J. Community-integrated home-based depression treatment in older adults: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2004;291(13):1569–1577. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms