https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6870-2606
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ABSTRACT
This study assessed a preventive intervention home visiting programme (Fussy Baby Network (FBN)) designed to support mothers struggling with infant crying, sleeping, or feeding concerns. Mothers were referred to the programme through local health- and social service providers and were eligible to participate in the study if they were age 18 or older and had a child ≤12 months of age. A mixed methods design quantitatively assessed pre- to post-test changes in maternal mental health, parenting confidence, and parent-infant bonding and qualitatively explored mothers’ experiences of the programme. Statistically significant differences were found with effect sizes (Cohen's D) as follows: improved parenting self-efficacy (0.72) and confidence (0.44); reduced maternal anxiety (0.50), stress (0.44), mother-infant bonding difficulties (0.42), and depression (0.35). Qualitative findings revealed that Empathic Inquiry and Capacity Building, two core processes of the FBN model, emerged as the most salient themes of the programme.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
Authors agree to make data and materials supporting the results or analyses presented in their paper available upon reasonable request.
Notes
1 Although the TBEARS program accepted any primary caregiver most caregivers served were biological mothers, thus that who is included in this research and the term mother will be used in the rest of this paper.
2 Participant names were changed to protect privacy and confidentiality.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Sherry S. Heller
Sherryl S. Heller, PhD, is a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at Tulane University Medical School. Sherry is a ZTT Graduate Fellow, serves as the Training Director of the Reflective Supervision Collaborative (RSC), and is an expert faculty member for Center of Excellence on IECMH (Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health) Consultation at Georgetown University. Sherry is part of the leadership team for Tulane's statewide IECMH Consultation program (TIKES). She spent several years directing the Tulane Building Early Relationships and Supports home visiting program and remains a FAN (Facilitating Attuned Interactions) trainer.
Hannah H. Covert
Hannah H. Covert, PhD is a Research Assistant Professor in Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. She provides scientific and administrative leadership for externally funded environmental and community health research and capacity building projects. Her expertise is in environmental health literacy, climate and health, community health worker programs, program evaluation, and qualitative research methodologies.
Grace Drnach-Bonaventura
Grace Drnach-Bonaventura, MPH, serves as the Chief of Staff and the School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh and an adjunct instructor for the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Lamar University. She has experience in best practices in screening implementation in community healthcare settings. Her research interests include substance use disorder and social determinants of health integration into healthcare curriculum.
Linda Gilkerson
Linda Gilkerson, Ph.D., LSW, is a professor at Erikson Institute where she co-directs the graduate training programs in infancy and infant mental health. She founded Erikson's first clinical initiative, Fussy Baby Network and is the developer of the FAN (Facilitating Attuned Interactions), an approach to facilitate parent engagement and reflective practice that is used widely across service systems. Her research and publications focus on relationship-based approaches and reflective supervision in a range of settings.
Leanne Kallemeyen
Leanne Kallemeyn, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Research Methodology department at Loyola University Chicago's School of Education. She teaches courses in program evaluation, qualitative methodology, and mixed methodology. Her research interests include mixed methodologies, evaluation practice, and practitioner's data use. She has been the principal investigator of multiple evaluation projects of early childhood and educational programs.
Maureen Y. Lichtveld
Maureen Y. Lichtveld, MD, MPH, is dean of the School of Public Health, where she oversees the growth and continued success of the school's seven academic departments and hundreds of students, faculty, and staff. She also serves as professor of environmental and occupational health and is the Jonas Salk Professor of Population Health. Dr. Lichtveld studies environmental public health, focusing on environmentally induced disease, health disparities, environmental health policy, disaster preparedness, public health systems, and community resilience. Her research examines the cumulative impact of chemical and non-chemical stressors on communities facing environmental health threats, disasters, and health disparities.
Mya Sherman
Mya Sherman, MA, MS is an Institutional Review Board Analyst at University of Virginia. Mya has experience working with community-based participatory research projects in the United States and abroad. Her research interests include research ethics, the social determinants of health, developmental evaluation, and climate change trauma.
Catherine A. Taylor
Catherine A. Taylor, PhD, LCSW, MPH is a Professor at Boston College School of Social Work. She conducts research on preventive interventions will a special focus on preventing child abuse. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NICHD) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is designed to be translated and applied to interrupt intergenerational cycles of violence, reduce childhood exposure to trauma, and improve health equity among children.