Enhancing Parenting for Depressed Caregivers

This randomized control study aims to (1) adapt a parenting intervention for depressed
caregivers of young children in primary care, (2) assess the acceptability and feasibility
of implementing a parenting intervention for depressed caregivers of young children in
primary care, and (3)to explore differences in depressive symptoms, parenting stress, parent
response to child behaviors, social support, child developmental and behavioral functioning,
and completion of mental health referrals among depressed caregivers who receive the
intervention or control condition. Two Philadelphia City Health Centers and the five
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Primary Care Practices in Philadelphia, and the
Early Head Start site at CHOP will be recruited to participate in the study. Incredible
Years Parents, Babies and Toddlers Program, a validated group parenting education program
has been adapted for use with depressed caregivers by inclusion of psychoeducational
depression materials and by recommendations from a study steering committee composed of
parents of young children, behavioral health specialists, and early childhood educators.
Caregivers attending their 12-30 month old child's well-child visit at participating
practices will complete the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, a brief validated depression
screen. Caregivers who screen positive (score>2) for depression treatment will receive
mental health resource materials and be invited to participate in the study. Caregivers who
enroll in the study will be consented and randomized to receive enhanced mental health
referrals and either (1) attend the parenting intervention immediately (immediate
intervention) or (2) after participating in the study for three months (wait list control).
Parents in both study arms will complete measures of depression severity (Beck Depression
Inventory-II), parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index-Short Form), parent response to
child behaviors (Parenting Scale), social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived
Social Support), and child functioning (Infant and Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment
[ITSEA] and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler development Screening Tool) at baseline,
three-four months, and six-seven month study visits. In addition, parents will be contacted
monthly to assess follow through, barriers to and need for assistance with mental health
referrals. Information on the feasibility (proportion who enroll in the study and proportion
who attend at least one intervention session), and acceptability (proportion who attend 4 or
more intervention sessions and overall intervention satisfaction) of this intervention and
its measures will be used to design future studies to test effectiveness of parenting
interventions for depressed caregivers in pediatric primary care practices. If proven
effective, such interventions could be disseminated to other pediatric practices to assist
them in caring for depressed caregivers.

In order to better understand the barriers and facilitators to conducting depression
screening of parents in primary care practices, we are conducting interviews with clinicians
who performed depression screenings as part of the quality improvement initiative to
implement depression screenings for caregivers of young children in primary care practices.
After assessing clinician responses to the interview questions, we will identify perceptions
of parental depression, screening procedures, referral procedures, and barriers and
facilitators to screening in primary care and disseminate the results to better inform
future depression screening initiatives in the primary care setting.

Inclusion Criteria:

A caregiver is eligible to participate in the study if they meet the following entry
requirements:

- 18 years of age or older at the start of the study

- Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) score of 3 or higher

- Have a child who is between 12 and 30 months at the time of screening

- Legal guardian of the child

- English speaking

- Resides in Philadelphia County

Exclusion Criteria:

- Caregiver scores negatively on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ).

- Caregiver does not reside in Philadelphia County.

- Caregiver is under 18 years old.

- Caregiver has a child who is older or younger than 12 to 30 months.

- Caregiver is not the legal guardian of the child.

- Caregiver does not speak English.