title: The NSPCC UK Minding the Baby® (MTB) home-visiting programme, supporting young mothers (aged 14-25) in the first 2 years of their baby's life: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: Young mothers living in low-income urban settings often are exposed to significant and chronic environmental difficulties including poverty, social isolation and poor education and typically also have to cope with personal histories of abuse and depression. Minding the Baby® (MTB) is an interdisciplinary home-visiting programme developed to support first-time young mothers, which integrates primary care and mental health approaches into a single intensive intervention from the last trimester of pregnancy until the child's second birthday. The primary aim of the intervention is to promote caregiver sensitivity, and, secondarily, to promote both child and maternal socioemotional outcomes.
  
  
  
  This is a multisite randomised controlled trial (RCT) with a target recruitment of 200 first-time adolescent mothers (under 26 years of age). One hundred participants will be randomised to the MTB group and they will receive the MTB programme in addition to the usual services available in their areas. Those participants not allocated to MTB will receive Treatment as Usual (TAU) only. Researchers will carry out blind assessments at baseline (before the birth of the baby), and outcome assessments around the child's first and second birthdays. The primary outcome will be the quality of maternal sensitivity and the secondary outcomes will focus on attachment security, child cognitive/language development, behavioural problems, postponed childbearing, maternal mental health and incidents of child protection interventions.
  
  
  
  This study evaluates the Minding the Baby® programme in the UK. In particular, this RCT explores the effectiveness of this integrative approach, which focusses on maternal mental issues as well as parent-infant interaction, parental concerns and developmental outcomes.
  
  
  
  ISRCTN08678682 (date of registration 3 April 2014).
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK. e.longhi@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5741-1351
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Longhi
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Harry Pitt Building, Early Gate, Reading, RG6 7BE, UK.|Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa.
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Priment Clinical Trials Unit, Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, UCL, Royal Free Campus, London, NW3 2PF, UK.
authors.forename: Rachael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wellsted
authors.affiliation: The Anna Freud Centre, 21 Maresfield Gardens, London, NW3 5SD, UK.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taylor-Colls
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: MacKenzie
authors.affiliation: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Weston House, 42 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3NH, UK.
authors.forename: Gwynne
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rayns
authors.affiliation: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Weston House, 42 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3NH, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cotmore
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fonagy
authors.affiliation: Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Richard M Pasco
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fearon
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006792:House Calls; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008423:Maternal Age; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012107:Research Design; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Attachment; First-time mothers; Home-visiting programme; Minding the Baby®; Reflective functioning