Are early intervention strategies effective to prevent child maltreatment in young mothers?
Scientific literature widely documents the fact that young mothers are at risk of psychosocial maladjustment. In turn, this vulnerability also affects their children, as indicated in particular by a higher maltreatment rate among these families compared to the rate among populations of low-risk adult mothers. In order to counteract this maltreatment phenomenon, several early interventions have been developed during the last five decades, some emphasizing on direct support to young mothers and others focusing both on direct support and on mother-child interactions. The results of such interventions to prevent the onset of child maltreatment vary; some studies report high effectiveness, while others reveal low or null effects. Taking this variation into account, the first objective of the present meta-analysis is to verify the overall effectiveness of early interventions targeting young mothers to prevent maltreatment of their children. The second objective is to determine if one intervention strategy produces better results than the other. A systematic review identified six studies evaluating eight distinct intervention programs. Meta-analytical calculations indicate an overall effect size (d = -0,29, p = 0,01) that demonstrates the general effectiveness of preventative interventions. More specifically, interventions focusing both on maternal support and on mother-child interactions prove effective in lowering child maltreatment rate. The results of the present study stand to promote and improve the services currently being offered in terms of child maltreatment prevention for a population of young mothers.