A home-based intervention founded on a mentorship model and targeted toward adolescent development, including negotiation skills, was effective in preventing rapid repeat births among low-income, black adolescent mothers. The effectiveness of the intervention could be seen after only 2 visits and increased over time. There were no second births among mothers who attended > or = 8 sessions. There was no evidence that risk behavior or contraceptive use was related to rapid second births. There was some evidence that rapid second births among adolescent mothers were regarded as desirable and as part of a move toward increasing autonomy and family formation, thereby undermining intervention programs that focus on risk avoidance. Findings suggest the merits of a mentoring program for low-income, black adolescent mothers, based on a relatively brief (6-8 sessions) curriculum targeted toward adolescent development and interpersonal negotiation skills.

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This study evaluates the efficacy of an early intervention program targeting African American mothers and their premature, low birth weight infants at 3 to 4 months' corrected age from four neonatal intensive care units, 173 families are recruited (84 intervention, 89 control). The 8-session, 20-week intervention consists of a psychoeducational video, serial administrations of the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, and maternally administered infant massage. At postintervention, intervention mothers have higher maternal self-efficacy than control. Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) intervention infants have significantly higher Bayley Mental Development Index (MDI) scores than ELBW control infants, but no intervention effects are observed among heavier preterm infants. Among infants of families living above federally established poverty thresholds, intervention infants have higher MDI scores than control infants. No intervention effects were found for infants of families living in poverty. Findings emphasize the importance of considering meaningful moderators in evaluations of early intervention effects.