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
. 2024 Dec;92(12):828-835.
doi: 10.1037/ccp0000926.

Effects of a responsive parenting intervention on Black mothers' depressive symptoms postpartum: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial

Olutosin Adesogan  1 , Steven R H Beach  2 , Sierra E Carter  3 , Isha W Metzger  3 , Justin A Lavner  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of a responsive parenting intervention on Black mothers' depressive symptoms postpartum: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial

Olutosin Adesogan et al. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: This study examined whether a responsive parenting (RP) intervention for first-time Black mothers had secondary benefits for their mental health by reducing their postpartum depressive symptoms.

Method: In total, 212 first-time Black mothers participated in the Sleep Strong African American Families randomized control trial. Mothers were randomized to the RP condition or a safety control condition at 1-week postpartum. Participants reported their depressive symptoms at 1-, 8-, and 16-week postpartum. Data were analyzed using linear regression and moderation analyses.

Results: There was not a significant main effect of the intervention condition on mothers' depressive symptoms at 8- or 16-week postpartum. However, at 8-week postpartum, the main effect of the condition was significantly moderated by mothers' depressive symptoms at baseline: Mothers in the RP condition reported significantly lower levels of 8-week depressive symptoms than mothers in the safety control condition if they initially had clinically significant depressive symptoms but did not differ from controls if they did not initially have clinically significant depressive symptoms. This interaction effect was not significant at 16-week postpartum. Effects remained consistent, controlling for demographic variables, which did not significantly moderate condition effects at 8- or 16-week postpartum.

Conclusion: Participation in the Sleep Strong African American Families responsive parenting intervention led to a more rapid reduction in depressive symptoms among first-time Black mothers with clinically significant depressive symptoms at baseline relative to the control condition. Findings suggest that family-focused responsive parenting interventions may serve as forms of "constructed resilience" that promote positive mental health early in the postpartum period. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03505203.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Beach SRH, Kogan SM, Brody GH, Chen Y, Lei M & Murry VM (2008). Change in maternal depression as a function of the Strong African American Families Program. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(2), 241–252. 10.1037/0893-3200.22.2.241 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cannon C, & Nasrallah HA (2019). A focus on postpartum depression among African American women: A literature review. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 31(2), 138–143. - PubMed
    1. Feldman R, Granat A, Pariente C, Kanety H, Kuint J, & Gilboa-Schechtman E (2009). Maternal depression and anxiety across the postpartum year and infant social engagement, fear regulation, and stress reactivity. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 48(9), 919–927. 10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181b21651 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hart AR, Beach SRH, Hart CN, Smith JJ, Stansfield BK, & Lavner JA (in press). Responsive parenting and Black mothers’ postpartum sleep: Secondary analysis of an RCT. Health Psychology. - PubMed
    1. Hernandez EH, Lavner JA, Moore AM, Stansfield BK, Beach SRH, Smith JJ, & Savage JS (2022). Sleep SAAF responsive parenting intervention improves mothers’ feeding practices: A randomized controlled trial among African American mother-infant dyads. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19, 129. 10.1186/s12966-022-01366-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data