Effectiveness of family‐focused home visiting for maternal mental illness: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Rachel Leonard*, Mark Linden, Anne Grant

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)
319 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Introduction:
The evidence on effectiveness of family-focused home visiting for maternal mental illness has yet to be comprehensively synthesised.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to assess current home visiting treatments and interventions for mothers with mental illness and their families.
Method:
The primary and secondary outcomes of interest were depression and maternal stress respectively, both were included in meta-analyses. We identified 13 (n= 5,540 participants) studies which met inclusion criteria. Eight studies were included in meta-analyses, five studies were reported narratively.
Results:
Findings from the meta-analysis suggest that home visiting interventions are not effective in reducing depression (SMD -0.13, 95% CI -0.33 to 0.07, p = 0.21) and maternal stress (MD 0.59, 95% CI -5.19 to 6.38, p = 0.84).
Discussion and Implications for Practice:
Findings suggest that current interventions are not effective in reducing depression or stress amongst mothers. While there is a growing integration of family-focused-practice into home visiting guidelines this may be based on poor evidence.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
Early online date20 Jan 2021
DOIs
Publication statusEarly online date - 20 Jan 2021

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