Long-term maternal effects of early childhood intervention: Findings from the Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP)

The Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) was a randomized clinical trial of early intervention services for low birth weight, premature infants. Mothers and infants received services for 3 years beginning at neonatal discharge. At the intervention's conclusion, mothers in the intervention group who had lighter (< 2001 g) birth weight infants had been employed longer than mothers in the comparison group. Intervention group mothers also reported less emotional distress, scored higher on the home environment measure and used harsh discipline less frequently with sons. Among measures of mothers' employment, mental health and home environment at 2-, 5-and 15-years post-intervention, employment was the only domain showing a treatment effect over time; this effect depended on child birth weight. Results suggest that early intervention services may have more success altering a mother's life course than her mental health or parenting style. Further research is needed to investigate the factors influencing the decisions made by low birth weight infants' mothers regarding whether and when to work outside the home.