Evaluation of a collaborative group intervention for mothers with moderate to severe perinatal mental illness and their infants in Australia

Perinatal mental illness is a known risk to maternal–infant attachment and healthy infant development. Mothers experiencing complex mental health issues in the first year following birth are less likely to become involved in parenting programs or day stay interventions because of their mental health difficulties and perceived stigma. Currently, most perinatal day or group treatment programs only include the mother and not their infant. This paper describes “Together in Mind,” a perinatal and infant mental health day program developed by the Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, targeting mothers with moderate to severe mental illness and their infants under 12 months. The service model was a 6‐week, 1 day per week psychoeducation intervention. Psychoeducational material and support were provided across each day session by an adult perinatal mental health clinician, an infant mental health clinician, and a child health nurse working in collaboration. The program was trialed across seven Hospital and Health Service sites in Queensland, Australia, during 2016–18. In total, 24 group day programs were delivered with 84 mothers and their infants. Pre and post intervention quantitative measures and a post‐program qualitative survey about participant satisfaction were collected. Statistically significant improvements in all quantitative measures showed a large to medium effect size on the: Health of the Nation Outcome Scale (HoNOS) (d = 0.82; p < .000); Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS‐21) (d = 0.5; p < .000); Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS) (d = 0.63; p < .000); Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS) (d = 0.49; p < .000), Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social‐Emotional (6 months) (d = 0.83; p < .000). The results indicate collaboration and early intervention contributes to strengthening the emerging development of the maternal–infant relationship within the context of complex maternal mental health issues.