title: Can Early Intervention Improve Maternal Well-Being? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study estimates the effect of a targeted early childhood intervention program on global and experienced measures of maternal well-being utilizing a randomized controlled trial design. The primary aim of the intervention is to improve children's school readiness skills by working directly with parents to improve their knowledge of child development and parenting behavior. One potential externality of the program is well-being benefits for parents given its direct focus on improving parental coping, self-efficacy, and problem solving skills, as well as generating an indirect effect on parental well-being by targeting child developmental problems.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants from a socio-economically disadvantaged community are randomly assigned during pregnancy to an intensive 5-year home visiting parenting program or a control group. We estimate and compare treatment effects on multiple measures of global and experienced well-being using permutation testing to account for small sample size and a stepdown procedure to account for multiple testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intervention has no impact on global well-being as measured by life satisfaction and parenting stress or experienced negative affect using episodic reports derived from the Day Reconstruction Method (DRM). Treatment effects are observed on measures of experienced positive affect derived from the DRM and a measure of mood yesterday.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The limited treatment effects suggest that early intervention programs may produce some improvements in experienced positive well-being, but no effects on negative aspects of well-being. Different findings across measures may result as experienced measures of well-being avoid the cognitive biases that impinge upon global assessments.
authors.affiliation: UCD School of Economics & UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Orla
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Science Centre, Stirling Management School, Stirling University, United Kingdom & UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Liam
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Delaney
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mental Health, Imperial College London, Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Farrelly
authors.affiliation: Frontier Economics, 71 High Holborn, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Science Centre, Stirling Management School, Stirling University, United Kingdom & UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daly
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002657:Child Development; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*