A Service-Led Pragmatic Evaluation of Family Foundations Targeting the Reduction of Perinatal Parent Mental Health Difficulties and Family Conflict in Australia

Abstract

A service-led evaluation of home-based Family Foundations (FF), a perinatal intervention targeting interparental conflict and mental health difficulties, was conducted in Melbourne, Australia. The aims were to assess (a) pre–post intervention changes, (b) parent satisfaction and (c) intervention fidelity. Participants included 288 families who completed self-report surveys, and FF clinicians who completed fidelity checklists. Approximately 78% of families who commenced FF completed all 10 sessions. High parent satisfaction and intervention fidelity were reported. For Parent 1s (primarily mothers), there were reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, interparental conflict and parenting hostility and increases in co-parenting support, parenting warmth and parenting self-efficacy—all associated with small effect sizes. For Parent 2s (primarily fathers), there were reductions in interparental conflict and parenting hostility and an increase in parenting self-efficacy—also associated with small effect sizes. These findings provide a platform for comprehensive and robust long-term evaluations of home-based FF in the future.