Study is first of its kind to focus on home-based intervention for Hispanic mothers.

2003 FEB 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Helping low-income North Carolina Hispanic mothers cope better with postpartum depression is the focus of a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The 4-year study - known as Alas, which is Spanish for "wings" - is the first to develop and test a home-visiting intervention specifically for Hispanic mothers with symptoms of depression.

It is funded by an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.

UNC researchers led by Dr. Linda S. Beeber, a professor at the School of Nursing, will partner with Early Head Start Program staff and Hispanic families and community members in Buncombe, McDowell and Orange counties to create and conduct the tailored intervention for Hispanic mothers in their homes.

The goal is to help these mothers develop skills to deal with symptoms of depression, improve their parenting interactions, aid their infants in their mental health development and learn to take advantage of social support systems like the Early Head Start Program, which strive to improve the long-term mental health of infants and toddlers.

All mothers are subject to depression beyond the "postpartum blues," said Beeber, but low-income Hispanic mothers are at an especially high risk for depression due to the combined factors of social isolation, socioeconomic status, language barriers and difficulties accompanying acculturation.

The combination of these factors, along with a lack of insurance, makes these Hispanic mothers among the least likely to receive any mental health treatment, she said.