Preventive intervention with a depressed mother with mental retardation and her infant: A quantitative case study

Abstract

A quantitative single case study is presented to illustrate how an early intervention program treated a depressed mother with mental retardation and her infant son. Drawing upon an ecological model of development, the case study utilized a multimethod, longitudinal approach to assess the infant's developmental competence and attachment status, the mother's history and current emotional and intellectual functioning, mother-infant social transactions, and components of the family's social ecology. Measures were administered during a baseline period, systematically repeated throughout the 1-year period of intervention, and repeated at the conclusion of treatment. The treatment consisted of individual therapy sessions for the mother. The infant was present in these sessions in order to make the interaction problems immediately salient and therefore more easily explored in the therapeutic relationships. The findings indicated increased maternal and infant competence and more adaptive patterns of mother-infant social transaction. Therapeutic issues in providing preventive intervention to this high-risk population of mothers and infants are discussed.