Paper
Saturday, 22 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Stress and Healthcare Needs of Women
Testing the Effects of a Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention on the Physical and Mental Health Status of Low-Income Single Mothers
Ann R. Peden, ARNP-CS, DSN, Lynne A. Hall, RN, DrPH, and Mary Kay Rayens, PhD. College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
Learning Objective #1: Describe an intervention study designed to improve the health of low-income single mothers.
Learning Objective #2: Examine the symptom of negative thinking as it affects health.
Purpose:  To test the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral group intervention in improving health status in low-income single mothers.
Methods:  A randomized controlled intervention trial with single mothers at risk for depression was conducted. 136 low-income single mothers at least 18 years of age participated.. Inclusion criteria included not currently under psychiatric care, at least one child 2 to 6 years old in the home, and high depressive symptoms (CES-D ³16 and/or Beck Depression Inventory ³ 10).
 
Methods: Women were randomly assigned to the control (n = 74) or intervention (n = 62) group. Physical and mental health status was measured using the MOS SF-36 via in-home interviews at baseline and at 1, 6, and 12-months post-intervention. The intervention consisted of multiple group sessions that targeting negative thinking. Thought stopping and the use of affirmations are taught. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test for group and time differences.
Findings:  The time factor was significant for the physical health status (p = .003), with increasing scores over time for both groups; average values ranged from 19.5 at baseline to 21.5 at 12 months. The main effect of time was significant for the mental health status (p < .0001), with average values increasing from 18.3 at baseline to 22.7 at 12 months. The group comparison for this mental outcome was marginally significant (p = .07), with a higher average score for the intervention participants (M = 21.5) compared to controls (M = 20.3).   
Discussion: The findings document the potential of this intervention to improve mothers’ physical and mental health status. While both intervention and control participants benefited from study participation as evidenced by higher scores over time, those in the treatment group had higher scores overall for the mental health measure.
Grant #R01 NR0506-01, NINR/NIH, April 1, 2000-March 30, 2004

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