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

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.