A. D. Hart

Parenting Stress of Low-Income Parents of Toddlers and Preschoolers: Psychometric Properties of a Short Form of the Parenting Stress Index

SYNOPSIS Objective. This study examines psychometric properties of 2 scales of the Parenting Stress Index—Short Form (PSI—SF) in a sample of preschool children from low-income families. Design. The factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Parental Distress and Parent—Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscales were assessed for 1122 Early Head Start parents of 15 (n = 959), 25 (n = 899), and 37-month-old (n = 845) children in a multisite study. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) compared the fit of 2-factor scales that are recommended by the developer with theoretically derived 5-factor scales. Results. CFA indicated that the 5-factor scales fit the data better than the 2-factor scales. Both 2 and 5-factor scales had high internal consistency, and the pattern of relations between the new scales and validity constructs support their usefulness. Conclusions. The PSI—SF scales can be helpful in clinical applications because the proposed scales clarify relations between parent and child outcomes and specific aspects of stress due to parenting.

It Takes Time: Impacts of Early Head Start that Lead to Reductions in Maternal Depression Two Years Later

The Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, a random-assignment evaluation, found a broad pattern of positive impacts for children and families. However, there were no program impacts on depression or use of mental health services by the time children reached age 3, at the end of the Early Head Start (EHS) program. This paper presents recent findings from the follow-up study in the spring prior to the children entering kindergarten, when a positive program impact emerged for reducing maternal depression. Results show that earlier program impacts on children and parents (when children were 2 and 3 years of age) mediated, or led to, the delayed impact on maternal depression. The combination of the most promising child factors accounted for over 57% of the later impact on depression, while the most promising parent factors accounted for over 35% of the later impact on depression. Implications for EHS programs are discussed.

Three-year incidence of first-onset depressive syndrome in a population sample of older adults: the Cache County study.

OBJECTIVE Estimates of incidence of late-life depression vary greatly with few studies excluding demented cases through in-depth evaluation and most studies failing to control for the effect of mortality and interval treatment. In a large population-based study, the authors examined the effect on incidence of first-onset depressive syndrome to determine whether any gender or age differences in incidence are attenuated with inclusion of these additional measures. METHOD Incidence rates of depressive syndrome per 1,000 person-years are presented for 2,877 nondemented elderly (ages 65 to 100 years) residents of Cache County, Utah. Cases are identified by direct interview methods, by inference from prescription antidepressant medicine use, and by postmortem informant interview for decedents. RESULTS In-person interviews yielded incidence rates of first-onset depressive disorder (any type) of 13.09 for men and 19.44 for women. Inclusion of antidepressant users increased these figures to 15.55 for men and 23.30 for women. Addition of postmortem interview data yielded rates of 20.66 for men and 26.29 for women. Individuals with no history of depression had rates for major depression of 7.88 for men and 8.75 for women; minor depression rates were 19.23 for men and 24.46 for women (p = 0.691; effect for minor depression p <0.0001). Age did not predict incidence. CONCLUSIONS Incidence of first-onset major depression varies with data source and prior lifetime history of depression. Gender effects apparent in interview data are attenuated when postmortem information and pharmacotherapy were considered.