Background: Rates of depression among Pakistani mothers are high, leading to poor developmental outcomes in their children. This study tested the effectiveness of a manualized integrated parenting program; Learning through Play Plus (LTP+) for maternal depression in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: A cluster randomized control trial conducted from January 2014 to December 2015 across 120 villages in Karachi. A total of 774 depressed mothers aged 18-44 years with children aged 0-30 months old, were included. Villages were randomized to receive LTP+ added to treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. Primary outcomes were severity of maternal depression at 3 and 6 months measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and child socio-emotional development at 6 months measured by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). Secondary outcomes included maternal anxiety, quality of life, social support, parenting competence, and knowledge about child development.
Results: Mothers in the LTP+ group reported significantly lower depression scores compared to those in the TAU group (6.6 vs. 13.8, effect size [ES]: -7.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -8.2, -6.1) at 3 and 6 months (7.2 vs. 12.00; ES: -4.6; 95% CI: -5.9, -3.4). Child socio-emotional development at 6 months was significantly better in the LTP+ group on all domains of the ASQ. There were also statistically significant improvements on all secondary outcomes at 3- and 6-month follow-up.
Conclusion: In low-resource settings like Pakistan, low-cost integrated parenting interventions delivered by lay health workers can provide effective treatment for depressed mothers, leading to improvements in child development.
Keywords: Pakistan; child development; low and middle-income countries; maternal depression; psychosocial development.
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