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Effect of Maternal Mental Health Problems on Child Treatment Response in Community-Based Services

OBJECTIVE: Many mothers bringing children for community mental health treatment need mental health services themselves. Moreover, children of mothers with mental health problems enter treatment with more severe symptomatology than do other children. However, little is known about how maternal mental health problems affect children's response to treatment. This study examined the impact of maternal mental health status on the child's treatment response. METHODS: The mental health of 272 mother-child pairs was assessed twice, when children entered treatment at three community mental health clinics and again three months later. Analysis of variance was used to examine the impact of maternal mental health status on children's rate of improvement. RESULTS: Children of mothers with mental health problems had significantly greater behavior problems (F=34.54, p<.001) and demonstrated less improvement over time (F=4.44, p=.04) than children of mentally healthy mothers. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that treatment for mothers as well as children could be beneficial for this population.

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