Evidence base review of couple‐ and family‐based psychosocial interventions to promote infant and early childhood mental health, 2010–2019

Abstract

Infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) has been defined as the capacity of infants and young children to regulate their emotions, form secure relationships, and explore their environments. For this special issue, we conducted a review of IECMH outcomes from evaluations of couple-and family-based psychosocial interventions not explicitly designed for trauma exposure published from 2010 through 2019, following Evidence Base Update criteria and the current convention of classifying general categories of intervention approaches rather than the former practice of evaluating specific brand-name packaged programs. Full-text review of 695 articles resulted in 39 articles eligible for categorization into intervention approaches, taking into consideration the theoretical orientation of the treatment, the population served, the intervention participants, The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reducing mental health disparities among racially and ethnically diverse populations: A review of couple and family intervention research methods (2010–2019)

“…We reviewed outcome research studies published from 2010 to 2019 in English-language journals, focusing specifically on the collection of studies included within 11 articles in this special issue. Studies were reviewed across the following mental health topics: infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH; Kaminski et al, 2022), disruptive behavior problems (Sheidow et al, 2022), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; Babinski & Sibley, 2022), anxiety disorders (Goger & Weersing, 2022), depressive and bipolar disorders , suicidal ideation and behavior (Frey et al, 2022), substance use disorders (Hogue et al, 2022), traumatic event exposure (McWey, 2022), intimate partner violence and child maltreatment (Stith et al, 2022), couple relationship education (Markman et al, 2022), and couple relationship distress (Doss et al, 2022). Although physical health was also featured in the special issue (Lamson et al, 2022), we did not review physical health interventions as we considered these interventions to have important methodological differences meriting their own review.…”

“…Among articles reporting research in international contexts (n = 92), 84 (91%) reported research from HICs, 5 (5%) were from LMIC settings, and 3 (3%) were classified as "other" (these three studies were conducted in HICs with racial/ethnic minority participants; Ahmad & Reid, 2016;Morpeth et al, 2017;Wong et al, 2018). One article (IECMH; Kaminski et al, 2022) did not include studies conducted in LMICs. Overall, 68 of the 271 (25%) different articles reviewed for this special issue on couple and family intervention research over the past decade included primarily racially or ethnically diverse samples or globally underserved populations.…”

O Impacto Das Experiências Da Primeira Inf Ncia Sobre a Saúde Mental Do Adolescente E Do Adulto: Uma Revisão Integrativa

“…A primeira infância é caracterizada pelo rápido desenvolvimento cerebral e pela dependência em relacionamentos responsivos para promover segurança, estabilidade e cuidado, fundamentando a base da saúde física e mental da criança. Por ser um período de desenvolvimento sensível, estressores adversos têm efeito neurológico, metabólico e imune deletérios (Kaminski et al, 2021). Nessa fase, a saúde mental envolve o desenvolvimento psíquico da criança desde o seu nascimento até os seis anos de idade para formar relações interpessoais próximas seguras em toda sua vida enquanto experimenta, gerencia e expressa uma ampla gama de emoções, explora o ambiente e coleciona aprendizados (Goodman, 2019).…”

Assessment of Psychosocial and Neonatal Risk Factors for Trajectories of Behavioral Dysregulation Among Young Children From 18 to 72 Months of Age

“…In summary, our findings address gaps by specifying early risk factors and the antecedent behavioral problems associated with long-term dysregulation. Risk and protective factors identified here can be ascertained prenatally, at birth, and prior to postnatal discharge to the home community to individualize family supports . When initiated earlier, behavioral and emotional interventions are more effective, with potential to prevent escalation among children with borderline symptoms.…”

“…Risk and protective factors identified here can be ascertained prenatally, at birth, and prior to postnatal discharge to the home community to individualize family supports. 71 , 72 When initiated earlier, behavioral and emotional interventions are more effective, 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 with potential to prevent escalation among children with borderline symptoms. Toward the goal of disrupting persisting dysregulation and facilitating resilience, the cumulative risks and behavioral indicators identified inform best practices and future research.…”