The effects of maternal depression on the efficacy of a literacy intervention program

The purpose of the present study was: (1) to determine whether depression w as related to mother-child interactions in a group of low-income mothers pa rticipating in a literacy intervention; (2) to examine whether depression w as related to retention; (3) to determine whether there were differential c hanges in depressed and nondepressed mothers in the intervention group. Par ticipants included 488 ethnically diverse families. Depressed mothers engag ed in fewer literacy enhancing behaviors with their children than non-depre ssed mothers and were more likely to drop out of the study. Depressed mothe rs were as likely to participate actively in the intervention, and benefite d as much from the intervention as non-depressed mothers.