Video interaction guidance inviting transcendence of postpartum depressed mothers' self‐centered state and holding behavior

Abstract

By sometimes evoking self-absorbed and avoidance behaviors in new mothers, postnatal depression affects the quality of mother-infant interaction, which in turn may invoke distress and avoidance in the infant and cause even more lasting impairment in the child's development. Three depressed mothers, A, B, and C, are reported upon after having been offered counseling in accordance with the Marte Meo approach through jointly watching with the therapist video replays of themselves interacting with their newborns. Clinical vignettes are offered which indicate how empathic and positive support of a sensitive therapist can be helpful in inviting the mother's recognition of her importance to her infant and facilitating mutually gratifying interaction between mother and child. Protocol analyses of select sessions of video-related therapy reveal that two of the mothers sometimes complete the therapist's unfinished statements in an other-centered manner, thereby transcending their initial self-centered state. This is most dramatic in the case of Mother A, who starts out in the first session almost incapable of speech, merely nodding or shaking her head. In addition to other indications of improved mother-infant interaction, comparison of pre- and postguidance windows regarding the three mothers' holding behaviors reveals a shift from an avoidance or anxious stance to closer and more secure holding.

Video feedback compared to treatment as usual in families with parent–child interactions problems: a randomized controlled trial

“…In Norway, the method has primarily been used to treat parent–child interactional problems in community health and welfare services, in kindergartens, in work with adoptive parents and in child and adolescent psychiatry departments [ 20 , 51 ]. There exist three qualitative studies on the positive effect of the Marte Meo intervention on maternal sensitivity towards infants and on decreased maternal symptoms of depression [ 52 - 54 ]. Likewise, Marte Meo has been demonstrated to be useful as a means of supporting adoptive parents [ 55 ] and has shown a promising effect in a systematic, school-based intervention among slightly older children with externalizing behaviours [ 56 ].…”

Finding focus in a difficult landscape: Therapists’ experiences with challenging video guidance processes for parent–infant dyads

“…Their handling by far expands existing method descriptions of the review situation as a “communication,” and of film selection guided by what particular visual “information” is “useful” for the parents’ development, even though therapist attunement and reading of the parents’ reaction are stressed (Aarts, 2008; Hawellek, 2015; Hedenbro & Wirtberg, 2012). Beebe's model of a psychodynamic video‐feedback intervention (2003), which stresses the therapists’ emotional “holding” and timing of the feedback, has been found relevant in Marte Meo guidance of postnatally depressed mothers (Vik & Braten, 2009). Our findings expand this more generally for parents experienced as relationally vulnerable.…”

A pilot study evaluation of Marte Meo for divorced fathers

“…Marte Meo has been widely field tested, yet has a limited research base, especially considering the large‐scale implementation of the clinical intervention. Published findings on Marte Meo report positive outcomes regarding increased maternal sensitivity, decreased maternal depression (Vik and Braten, ; Vik and Rohde, ), and decreased child externalizing behaviour (Axberg, Hansson, Broberg and Wirtberg., ). The larger literature base on clinical interventions with children that utilize video feedback also has an almost exclusive focus on the interaction between mother and child.…”