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Associations Between Early Intervention Home Visits, Family Relationships and Competence for Mothers of Children with Developmental Disabilities

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Abstract

Objectives To examine the association between intensity of home visits in early intervention (EI), perceived helpfulness of home visits in EI, and positive family relationships as predictors of maternal competence at age 3, as well as moderating effects of predictors, controlling for child characteristics, family demographics, and negative life events. Methods Data were drawn from the Early Intervention Collaborative Study (EICS), a 24-year longitudinal investigation of approximately 190 families of children with developmental disabilities who participated in EI programs in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The primary analytic strategy was multivariable regression modeling. Each independent predictor was tested individually and then all together to build the final model. Interactions between independent predictors were also examined. Results After controlling for child and family characteristics and negative life events, the intensity of home visits was not significantly associated with maternal competence at age 3. However, the helpfulness of home visits (β = 2.94, S.E. = 1.12, p < .01) and positive family relationships (β = 5.11, S.E. = 1.08, p < .001) were associated with higher maternal competence when the child was 3 years old. Conclusions for Practice Recommendations for programs and policy include collecting life course data on families, particularly on their family relationships and experiences in EI and home visiting, assessing family relationships at the beginning of EI using a strengths-based perspective, and closely monitoring the quality of services.

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Acknowledgements

The Early Intervention Collaborative Study was funded by Grant No. R40 MC08956 through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Research Program. This project was also supported by grant number T32HS000063 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Preparation of this manuscript was also supported by the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation and the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. General Academic Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School, 125 Nashua St – Suite #860, Boston, MA, USA

    Morgan K. Crossman & Milton Kotelchuck

  2. Nathan and Toby Starr Center on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA

    Marji Erickson Warfield

  3. Lynch School of Education, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA

    Penny Hauser-Cram

  4. Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

    Susan L. Parish

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  1. Morgan K. Crossman
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  2. Marji Erickson Warfield
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  3. Milton Kotelchuck
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  4. Penny Hauser-Cram
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  5. Susan L. Parish
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Correspondence to Morgan K. Crossman.

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Crossman, M.K., Warfield, M.E., Kotelchuck, M. et al. Associations Between Early Intervention Home Visits, Family Relationships and Competence for Mothers of Children with Developmental Disabilities. Matern Child Health J 22, 599–607 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-018-2429-x

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