Depression treatment delivered at the point-of-care: a qualitative assessment of the views of low-income US mothers

Background/objective: Within the first months of childbirth, clinically significant depressive symptoms are experienced by 19% of mothers in the USA, and are even more prevalent among low-income and ethnic-minority women. Paradoxically, low-income and ethnic-minority mothers are faced with unique barriers that make them less likely to receive professional mental health care. To find ways to remove these barriers, a recent US trial extended the use of a UK intervention, Listening Visits, an evidence-based treatment delivered by home visitors/office nursing staff. Methods: A qualitative content analysis was conducted with participants' (N = 19 in an open trial and N = 49 in a randomised controlled trial) responses to a post-treatment semi-structured interview assessing their views of Listening Visits. The percentage of participants endorsing each thematic code is presented. Results: When the provider first introduced the Listening Visits intervention, 77.9% of women retrospectively reported having positive views of trying this new approach. Recipients most frequently mentioned as helpful two aspects of Listening Visits: empathic listening/support and the collaborative style of the Listening Visits provider. Half of the women (50%) did not suggest changes to how Listening Visits was delivered. Among those who suggested changes, the most frequent (42.6%) suggestion was to increase the number/duration of sessions. Conclusion: Listening Visits is an acceptable depression treatment approach, as perceived by low-income, ethnic-minority mothers, which health and social service providers who serve this population can use.