Objective: This study examined whether a responsive parenting (RP) intervention for first-time Black mothers had secondary benefits for their mental health by reducing their postpartum depressive symptoms.
Method: In total, 212 first-time Black mothers participated in the Sleep Strong African American Families randomized control trial. Mothers were randomized to the RP condition or a safety control condition at 1-week postpartum. Participants reported their depressive symptoms at 1-, 8-, and 16-week postpartum. Data were analyzed using linear regression and moderation analyses.
Results: There was not a significant main effect of the intervention condition on mothers' depressive symptoms at 8- or 16-week postpartum. However, at 8-week postpartum, the main effect of the condition was significantly moderated by mothers' depressive symptoms at baseline: Mothers in the RP condition reported significantly lower levels of 8-week depressive symptoms than mothers in the safety control condition if they initially had clinically significant depressive symptoms but did not differ from controls if they did not initially have clinically significant depressive symptoms. This interaction effect was not significant at 16-week postpartum. Effects remained consistent, controlling for demographic variables, which did not significantly moderate condition effects at 8- or 16-week postpartum.
Conclusion: Participation in the Sleep Strong African American Families responsive parenting intervention led to a more rapid reduction in depressive symptoms among first-time Black mothers with clinically significant depressive symptoms at baseline relative to the control condition. Findings suggest that family-focused responsive parenting interventions may serve as forms of "constructed resilience" that promote positive mental health early in the postpartum period. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03505203.