This study will test the effectiveness of a short-term intervention in treating depressed young mothers with young children enrolled in Early Head Start Programs.

Limited resources, poor social support, and complex life problems contribute to the high prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms in low-income mothers. As depressive symptoms persist, they often rob young mothers of the energy they need for school, job training, and positive interaction with their children, which can negatively affect a child's language acquisition, intellectual development, and social conduct. This study will design and implement a home-based treatment to help young mothers manage their depressive symptoms, increase their social support, manage or resolve life issues, and effectively parent their infant or toddler through the use of EHS resources.

Mothers will be randomly assigned to receive either home-based interpersonal depression treatment or an attention control/usual care condition for 26 weeks. Assessments will be made at study start and Weeks 14, 22, and 26. Depression scales, interviews, and analyses of videotaped mother-child interactions will be used to assess participants. Stress, social support, and use of EHS services will be assessed.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Score of 16 or higher on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale
• Child who is 6 weeks to 30 months old
• Child who is enrolled in an Early Head Start program

Exclusion Criteria:

• Regular use of psychotropic medication
• Regular use of psychotherapy or drug/alcohol treatment