Hostname: page-component-669899f699-swprf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-05-03T05:40:37.185Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A review and analysis of the components of potentially effective perinatal mental health interventions for infant development and mother-infant relationship outcomes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2020

Katherine Newton Open the ORCID record for Katherine Newton [Opens in a new window] ,
Elizabeth Taylor Buck ,
Scott Weich  and
Lesley Uttley
Katherine Newton*
Affiliation:
School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
Elizabeth Taylor Buck
Affiliation:
School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
Scott Weich
Affiliation:
School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
Lesley Uttley
Affiliation:
School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
*
Author for Correspondence: Dr. Katherine Newton, 24 Town Square, Kerry Garth, Leeds, LS18 4TR, UK; E-mail: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Children of mothers with serious mental health difficulties are at increased risk of developing mental health difficulties themselves in their own lifetime. Specialist interventions delivered in perinatal mental health services offer an opportunity to support the infant's development and long-term mental health. This review aimed to systematically evaluate the shared elements of successful perinatal mental health interventions that underpin improved outcomes for infants whose mothers experience perinatal mental health difficulties. Nine electronic databases were searched comprehensively for relevant controlled studies of perinatal mental health interventions, and a narrative synthesis undertaken to assess whether statistically significant benefits were noted. Sixteen studies, trialing 19 interventions, were analyzed using a narrative approach and grouped according to reported effectiveness. Eight interventions demonstrated significant improvements in infant outcomes and/or mother–infant relationship outcomes and were used to inform the analysis of the included interventions’ components. While the interventions identified were diverse, there were common components which potentially underpin successful interventions for infants whose mothers are experiencing mental health difficulties, including: facilitation of positive Mother×Infant interactions; helping mothers to understand their infant's perspective or inner world; and the use of video feedback.

Keywords

infant mental healthmother–infant relationshipparentingperinatal mental health
Type
Regular Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 34 , Issue 1 , February 2022 , pp. 37 - 54
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Abidin, R., Flens, J. R., & Austin, W. G. (2006). The Parenting Stress Index.Google Scholar
Ainsworth, M. D., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the Strange Situation. Hillsdale: Lawlence Erlbaum Associates. doi:10.1007/978-0-230-80239-1_3Google Scholar
Axia, G. (2002). QUIT. Questionari italiani del temperamento (Vol. 24). Trento, Italy: Edizioni Erickson.Google Scholar
Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., Van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Juffer, F. (2003). Less is more: Meta-analyses of sensitivity and attachment interventions in early childhood. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 195–215. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.129.2.195CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Juffer, F. (2005). Disorganized infant attachment and preventive interventions: A review and meta-analysis. Infant Mental Health Journal: Official Publication of The World Association for Infant Mental Health, 26, 191–216.10.1002/imhj.20046CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barlow, J., Bennett, C., Midgley, N., Larkin, S. K., & Wei, Y. (2015). Parent-infant psychotherapy for improving parental and infant mental health (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, 1–129.Google Scholar
Barlow, J., McMillan, A. S., Kirkpatrick, S., Ghate, D., Barnes, J., Smith, J., & Smith, M. (2010). Health-led interventions in the early years to enhance infant and maternal mental health: A review of reviews. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 15, 178–185. doi:10.1111/j.1475-3588.2010.00570.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bates, J. E., Freeland, C. A. B., & Lounsbury, M. L. (1979). Measurement of infant difficultness. Child Development, 50(3), 794–803.10.2307/1128946CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bayley, N. (2006). Bayley scales of infant and toddler development. San Antonio, Texas: PsychCorp, Pearson.Google Scholar
Beardslee, W., Gladstone, T., & O'Connor, E. (2011). Transmission and prevention of mood disorders among children of affectively ill parents: A review. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 50, 1098–1109.10.1016/j.jaac.2011.07.020CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beebe, B., Jaffe, J., Markese, S., Buck, K., Chen, H., Cohen, P., … Feldstein, S. (2010). The origins of 12-month attachment: A microanalysis of 4-month mother-infant interaction. Attachment & Human Development, 12, 3–141. doi:10.1080/14616730903338985CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Biringen, Z., Robinson, J. L., & Emde, R. N. (1998). Emotional availability scales (EA). Unpublished Coding Manual, Colorado, USA: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University.Google Scholar
Brockington, I. F., Oates, J., George, S., Turner, D., Vostanis, P., Sullivan, M., … Murdoch, C. (2001). A screening questionnaire for mother-infant bonding disorders. Archives of Women's Mental Health, 3, 133–140.10.1007/s007370170010CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Challacombe, F. L., Salkovskis, P. M., Woolgar, M., Wilkinson, E. L., Read, J., & Acheson, R. (2017). A pilot randomized controlled trial of time-intensive cognitive-behaviour therapy for postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder: Effects on maternal symptoms, mother-infant interactions and attachment. Psychological Medicine, 47, 1478–1488. doi:10.1017/S0033291716003573CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clark, R. (1985). The parent-child early relational assessment: Instrument and manual. Madison: University of Wisconsin Medical School, Department of Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Clark, R. (1999). The parent-child early relational assessment: A factorial validity study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 59, 821–846. doi:10.1177/00131649921970161CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, R., Tluczek, A., & Brown, R. (2008). A mother-infant therapy group model for postpartum depression. Infant Mental Health Journal, 29, 514–536. doi:10.1002/imhj.20189CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crittenden, P. M. (2003). CARE-Index manual. Unpublished Manuscript, Miami: Family Relations Institute.Google Scholar
Dennis, C.-L., Ross, L. E., & Grigoriadis, S. (2007). Psychosocial and psychological interventions for treating antenatal depression (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, 1–18.Google Scholar
Ericksen, J., Loughlin, E., Holt, C., & Gemmill, A. W. (2018). A therapeutic playgroup for depressed mothers and their infants: Feasibility study and pilot randomized trial of Community HUGS. Infant Mental Health Journal, 39, 396–409. doi:10.1002/imhjCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feldman, R. (1998). Coding interactive behavior manual. Unpublished Manual.Google Scholar
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 and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48, 919–927. doi:10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181b21651CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fiese, B. H., Poehlmann, J., Irwin, M., Gordon, M., & Curry-Bleggi, E. (2001). A pediatric screening instrument to detect problematic infant–parent interactions: Initial reliability and validity in a sample of high-and low-risk infants. Infant Mental Health Journal: Official Publication of The World Association for Infant Mental Health, 22, 463–478.10.1002/imhj.1011CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fonagy, P., Sleed, M., & Baradon, T. (2016). Randomized controlled trial of parent-infant psychotherapy for parents with mental health problems and young infants. Infant Mental Health Journal, 37, 97–114. doi:10.1002/imhj.21553CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodman, J. H., Prager, J., Goldstein, R., & Freeman, M. (2015). Perinatal Dyadic Psychotherapy for postpartum depression: A randomized controlled pilot trial. Archives of Women's Mental Health, 18, 493–506. doi:10.1007/s00737-014-0483-yCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodman, S. H., Rouse, M. H., Connell, A. M., Broth, M. R., Hall, C. M., & Heyward, D. (2011). Maternal depression and child psychopathology: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 14, 1–27.10.1007/s10567-010-0080-1CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
The Cochrane Collaboration, Higgins, J. P., & Green, S. (2011). 8.5 - The Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. Retrieved October 20, 2018, from http://handbook-5-1.cochrane.orgGoogle Scholar
Hosman, C. M. H., van Doesum, K. T. M., & van Santvoort, F. (2009). Prevention of emotional problems and psychiatric risks in children of parents with a mental illness in the Netherlands: I. The scientific basis to a comprehensive approach. Australian E-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 8, 250–263.10.5172/jamh.8.3.250CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, J. G., Cohen, P., Kasen, S., Smailes, E., & Brook, J. S. (2001). Association of maladaptive parental behavior with psychiatric disorder among parents and their offspring. Archives of General Psychiatry, 58, 453–460.10.1001/archpsyc.58.5.453CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kenny, M., Conroy, S., Pariante, C. M., Seneviratne, G., & Pawlby, S. (2013). Mother-infant interaction in mother and baby unit patients: Before and after treatment. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 47, 1192–1198. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2013.05.012CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Korhonen, M., Luoma, I., Salmelin, R., & Tamminen, T. (2012). A longitudinal study of maternal prenatal, postnatal and concurrent depressive symptoms and adolescent well-being. Journal of Affective Disorders, 136, 680–692. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2011.10.007CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leman, P., Bremner, A., Parke, R., & Gauvain, M. (2012). Emotional development and attachment. In Developmental Psychology (1st ed., pp. 175–195). Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill HigheEducation.Google Scholar
Letourneau, N., Dennis, C., Cosic, N., & Linder, J. (2017). The effect of perinatal depression treatment for mothers on parenting and child development: A systematic review. Depression and Anxiety, 34, 928–966. doi:10.1002/da.22687CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Letourneau, N., Stewart, M., Dennis, C., Hegadoren, K., Duffett-Leger, L., & Watson, B. (2011). Effect of home-based peer support on maternal-infant interactions among women with postpartum depression: A randomized, controlled trial. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 20, 345–357. doi:10.1111/j.1447-0349.2010.00736.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lucarelli, L., Cimino, S., Perucchini, P., Speranza, A. M., Ammaniti, M., & Ercolani, A. P. (2002). I disturbi alimentari nella prima infanzia: validazione di uno strumento osservativo dell'interazione madre-bambino.Google Scholar
Madigan, S., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., Van Ijzendoorn, M. H., Moran, G., Pederson, D. R., & Benoit, D. (2006). Unresolved states of mind, anomalous parental behavior, and disorganized attachment: A review and meta-analysis of a transmission gap. Attachment & Human Development, 8(2), 89–111. doi: 10.1080/14616730600774458CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meins, E., Fernyhough, C., Fradley, E., & Tuckey, M. (2001). Rethinking maternal sensitivity: Mothers’ comments on infants’ mental processes predict security of attachment at 12 months. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 637–648.10.1111/1469-7610.00759CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meltzer-Brody, S., Howard, L. M., Bergink, V., Vigod, S., Jones, I., Munk-Olsen, T., … Milgrom, J. (2018). Postpartum psychiatric disorders. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 4, 1–18. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2018.22CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milgrom, J., Westley, D., & Gemmill, A. (2004). The mediating role of maternal responsiveness in some longer term effects of postnatal depression on infant development. Infant Behavior and Development, 27, 443–454.10.1016/j.infbeh.2004.03.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, L., Cooper, P., Wilson, A., & Romaniuk, H. (2003). Controlled trial of the short- and long-term effect of psychological treatment of post-partum depression: 2. Impact on the mother-child relationship and child outcome. British Journal of Psychiatry, 182, 420–427.10.1192/bjp.182.5.420CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, L., Fiori-Cowley, A., Hooper, R., & Cooper, P. (1996). The impact of postnatal depression and associated adversity on early mother-infant interactions and later infant outcomes. Child Development, 67, 2512–2526.10.2307/1131637CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Netsi, E., Pearson, R., Murray, L., & Cooper, P. (2018). Association of persistent and severe postnatal depression with child outcomes. JAMA Psychiatry, 75, 247–253.10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.4363CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
NHS England. (2016). Perinatal mental health community services development fund: Application guidance. Retrieved August 9, 2018, from https://www.england.nhs.uk/mentalhealth/perinatal/community-services/Google Scholar
O'Higgins, M. (2006). Improving mother-infant outcomes after postnatal depression. London: University of London.Google Scholar
Onozawa, K., Glover, V., Adams, D., Modi, N., & Kumar, R. C. (2001). Infant massage improves mother-infant interaction for mothers with postnatal depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 63, 201–207. doi:10.1016/S0165-0327(00)00198-1CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Panter-Brick, C., Burgess, A., Eggerman, M., McAllister, F., Pruett, K., & Leckman, J. F. (2014). Practitioner review: Engaging fathers-recommendations for a game change in parenting interventions based on a systematic review of the global evidence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 55, 1187–1212. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12280CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Puckering, C., Mcintosh, E., Hickey, A., & Longford, J. (2010). Mellow Babies: A group intervention for infants and mothers experiencing postnatal depression. Counselling Psychology Review, 25, 28–40.Google Scholar
Rominov, H., Pilkington, P. D., Giallo, R., & Whelan, T. A. (2016). A systematic review of interventions targeting paternal mental health in the perinatal period. Infant Mental Health Journal, 37, 289–301. doi:10.1002/imhj.21560CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2015). Perinatal mental health services. Recommendations for the provision of services for childbearing women.Google Scholar
Schacht, R., Meins, E., Fernyhough, C., Centifanti, L. C. M., Bureau, J. F., & Pawlby, S. (2017). Proof of concept of a mind-mindedness intervention for mothers hospitalized for severe mental illness. Development and Psychopathology, 29, 555–564. doi:10.1017/S0954579417000177CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skapinakis, P., Caldwell, D., Hollingworth, W., Bryden, P., Fineberg, N., Salkovskis, P., … Lewis, G. (2016). A systematic review of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of pharmacological and psychological interventions for the management of obsessive–compulsive disorder in children/adolescents and adults. Health Technology Assessment, 20. doi:10.3310/hta20430CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skovgaard, A. M. (2010). Mental health problems and psychopathology in infancy and early childhood. An epidemiological study. Danish Medical Bulletin, 57, B4193.Google ScholarPubMed
Stein, A., Pearson, R. M., Goodman, S. H., Rapa, E., Rahman, A., McCallum, M., … Pariante, C. M. (2014). Effects of perinatal mental disorders on the fetus and child. The Lancet, 384, 1800–1819.10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61277-0CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stein, A., Woolley, H., Senior, R., Hertzmann, L., Lovel, M., Lee, J., … Fairburn, C. G. (2006). Treating disturbances in the relationship between mothers with bulimic eating disorders and their infants: A randomized, controlled trial of video feedback. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 899–906. doi:10.1176/ajp.2006.163.5.899CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sumner, G., & Spietz, A. (1994a). NCAST caregiver/parent-child interaction teaching manual. Seattle: NCAST Publications.Google Scholar
Sumner, G., & Spietz, A. (1994b). NCAST Caregiver/Parent-Child Interaction Teaching ManualNCAST Publications. Seattle: NCAST Publications.Google Scholar
Tambelli, R., Cerniglia, L., Cimino, S., & Ballarotto, G. (2015). Parent-infant interactions in families with women diagnosed with postnatal depression: A longitudinal study on the effects of a psychodynamic treatment. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1210. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01210CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
The Cochrane Collaboration. (2012). Data Extraction Form for RCTs. Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwjep9X4grziAhVjrHEKHXAKC00QFjAAegQIBBAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftraining.cochrane.org%2Fsites%2Ftraining.cochrane.org%2Ffiles%2Fpublic%2Fuploads%2Fresources%2Fdownloadable_resources%2FEngGoogle Scholar
Tsivos, Z. L., Calam, R., Sanders, M. R., & Wittkowski, A. (2015). A pilot randomised controlled trial to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the Baby Triple P Positive Parenting Programme in mothers with postnatal depression. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 20, 532–554. doi:10.1177/1359104514531589CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van Doesum, K. T. M., & Hosman, C. M. H. (2009). Prevention of emotional problems and psychiatric risks in children of parents with a mental illness in the Netherlands: II. Interventions. Australian E-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, 8, 264–276.10.5172/jamh.8.3.264CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Doesum, K. T. M., Riksen-Walraven, J. M., Hosman, C. M. H., & Hoefnagels, C. (2008). A randomized controlled trial of a home-visiting intervention aimed at preventing relationship problems in depressed mothers and their infants. Child Development, 79, 547–561. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01142.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van Santvoort, F., Hosman, C., van Doesum, K., Reupert, A., & van Loon, L. (2015). The impact of various parental mental disorders on children's diagnoses: A systematic review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 18, 281–299.10.1007/s10567-015-0191-9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Velders, F. P., Dieleman, G., Henrichs, J., Jaddoe, V. W. V., Hofman, A., Verhulst, F. C., … Tiemeier, H. (2011). Prenatal and postnatal psychological symptoms of parents and family functioning: The impact on child emotional and behavioural problems. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 20, 341–350. doi:10.1007/s00787-011-0178-0CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wan, M. W., & Green, J. (2009). The impact of maternal psychopathology on child-mother attachment. Archives of Women's Mental Health, 12, 123–134. doi:10.1007/s00737-009-0066-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waters, E., & Deane, K. E. (1985). Defining and assessing individual differences in attachment relationships: Q-methodology and the organization of behavior in infancy and early childhood. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 50, 41–65.10.2307/3333826CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization. (2015). Thinking healthy: A manual for psychosocial management of perinatal depression. Geneva: World Health Organization: MhGAP.Google Scholar
Wright, B., Barry, M., Hughes, E., Trépel, D., Ali, S., Allgar, V., … Gilbody, S. (2015). Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of parenting interventions for children with severe attachment problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Technology Assessment, 19. doi:10.3310/hta19520CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wright, B., & Edginton, E. (2016). Evidence-based parenting interventions to promote secure attachment. Global Pediatric Health, 3, 1–14. doi:10.1177/2333794X16661888CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wright, B., Hackney, L., Hughes, E., Barry, M., Glaser, D., Prior, V., … McMillan, D. (2017). Decreasing rates of disorganised attachment in infants and young children, who are at risk of developing, or who already have disorganised attachment. A systematic review and meta-analysis of early parenting interventions. [Review]. PLoS ONE [Electronic Resource], 12, 1–20.10.1371/journal.pone.0180858CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Newton et al. supplementary material

Newton et al. supplementary material

Download Newton et al. supplementary material(File)
File 107.1 KB