Mellow Babies: A group intervention for infants and mothers experiencing postnatal depression

Abstract

Maternal postnatal depression has been associated with both short- and long-term negative effects for the child’s emotional, social and cognitive well-being (Murray & Cooper 1997; Halligan et al., 2007). Therapies that focus on supporting mothers have shown accelerated improvement in maternal well-being, but few positive effects for infants (Cooper et al., 2003; Murray et al., 2003). Where interventions focus on addressing mother-infant interaction there appears greater chance of benefit to both mothers and children (Poobalan et al., 2007).A small waiting list controlled trial of a 14-week Mellow Babies group intervention was carried out with 17 mothers and infants under one year. Mellow Babies aims to promote both mother-infant interaction and maternal well-being. Changes in maternal depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and the quality of mother-infant interaction (video observation) were assessed.Maternal mood in mothers attending Mellow Babies improved, with a significant difference in EPDS scores, relative to the control group, at follow-up. Post-intervention, there was a significant difference in levels of positive interactions between groups, favouring mothers attending Mellow Babies. The difference in negative interaction between Mellow Babies and waiting-list control group approached significance, with less negative interaction observed between mothers and infants who attended the group. Participant feedback on the content and process of Mellow Babies was highly positive.The study showed benefits from Mellow Babies for mothers and infants who had exposure to postnatal depression. Further studies with longer-term follow-up and infant outcome measures may substantiate these initial findings.