Effects on maternal mental health and parental functioning of an interdisciplinary intervention to support women in vulnerable positions through pregnancy and early motherhood: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract: Background/Objectives: The transition to motherhood can be particularly chal-lenging for women with limited socio-economic resources or mental health concerns. The FAmily Clinic And Municipality (FACAM) intervention was designed to provide addi-tional support through health visitors or family therapists, starting in pregnancy and con-tinuing until the child reached school age. This paper evaluates the effects of the FACAM intervention on the secondary outcomes, maternal mental health and parental functioning during the child's first year of life. Methods: A total of 331 pregnant women were ran-domized to either the FACAM intervention (n=163) or usual care (n=168). Participants completed questionnaires at baseline, and at three (N=284) and 12 (N=248) months post-partum. Outcomes included maternal mental well-being, satisfaction with motherhood, depressive symptoms, parental stress, parental reflective functioning, worries, and breast-feeding duration. Results: At 12 months postpartum, FACAM mothers reported greater concern about housing issues (b=0.56, 95% CI [0.06, 1.06], p=0.03). No other significant differences in the reported outcomes were observed between the groups. Conclusion: The FACAM intervention did not demonstrate superiority over usual care in improving ma-ternal mental health and parental functioning during the first year postpartum. The high-quality and needs-based approach of standard care in Denmark may have limited the potential for additional interventions to yield measurable improvements in maternal outcomes.