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ABSTRACT
Caregivers involved in the child welfare system are at heightened risk for depression, which has innumerable, deleterious effects upon the family. Screening and active outreach can facilitate identification and service use, yet there are considerable obstacles to detection and help-seeking. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a peer-delivered detection and active outreach program upon depression and engagement in mental health services. Twenty-four caregivers participated in this four-session intervention (Mage? = ?32.5?±?7.46 years). Caregivers evidenced significant reductions in depressive from baseline to posttest and from baseline to follow-up; scores moved from clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms (M = 26.33) to the subclinical range (M = 14.4 at follow-up). A notable increase in treatment engagement over time, as well as the stability of caregivers involved in treatment was detected. Finally, the number of perceived barriers to help seeking were similar among caregivers who were engaged versus not engaged in services. The findings suggest that the active components of the intervention, when delivered by a peer, can effectively reduce depressive symptoms among high-risk caregivers.
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Notes on contributors
Mary C Acri
Mary C Acri, PhD, is a Mid Stage Researcher with a background in clinical social work who oversees a health and mental health services research portfolio that focuses on detecting unaddressed mental health problems amongst poverty-impacted children and their caregivers; engaging children and caregivers into mental health services; changing provider behaviors to improve health outcomes, and enhancing the quality of services for families. Dr. Acri earned her PhD from the Silver School of Social Work at New York University.
Emily Hamovitch
Emily Hamovitch, MSW, MPH, is a Manager of Implementation and Training at the Child Development Institute in Toronto, Canada. Prior to her current role, she served as a Research Project Manager at the McSilver Institute for Poverty, Policy, and Research, where she oversaw a federally-funded study to enhance outcomes amongst children with behavior problems and their families. She earned her MSW and MPH from New York University.
Geetha Gopalan
Geetha Gopalan, PhD, is Associate Professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. Dr. Gopalan's research agenda focuses on identifying needs and challenges of families involved in the child welfare system which could impact service utilization and effectiveness, developing, implementing and evaluating interventions designed to promote child mental health and family functioning, and investigating interventions and services integrating peer support. Dr. Gopalan earned her PhD from Columbia University.
Marina Lalayants
Marina Lalayants, PhD, is Associate Professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. Dr. Lalayants ares of expertise include parent advocacy/peer support in child welfare, parent engagement, multidisciplinary practices in child protection and child welfare and child protection in developing countries. Dr. Lalayants earned her PhD from the Graduate Center, City University of New York.