Effectiveness of family-focused home visiting for maternal mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: The evidence on effectiveness of family-focused home visiting for maternal mental illness has yet to be comprehensively synthesized. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess current home visiting treatments and interventions for mothers with mental illness and their families. Method: The primary and secondary outcomes of interest were depression and maternal stress, respectively, both were included in meta-analyses. We identified 13 (n = 5,540 participants) studies which met inclusion criteria. Eight studies were included in meta-analyses; five studies were reported narratively. Results: Findings from the meta-analysis suggest that home visiting interventions are not effective in reducing depression (SMD -0.13, 95% CI -0.33 to 0.07, p = .21) and maternal stress (MD 0.59, 95% CI -5.19 to 6.38, p = .84). Discussion and Implications for practice: Findings suggest that current interventions are not effective in reducing depression or stress among mothers. While there is a growing integration of family-focused practice into home visiting guidelines, this may be based on poor evidence.