Mothers of young children are at very high risk for depression, and their children are at increased risk for negative emotional and behavioral outcomes due in part, to negative parenting behavior associated with the mother's depression. Evidence suggests that treating maternal depression is associated with improvements in parenting behavior and child outcomes. Despite the availability of effective treatment programs and interventions, however, too many depressed mothers, particularly those living in economic distress, do not receive treatment. Difficulty accessing treatment is a particular problem given that depression is a leading cause of disability, contributing significantly to the overall burden of disease.

Investigators are partnering with Head Start agencies to train Head Start staff to offer Mom-Net, an effective coach-facilitated online program which has been shown to alleviate material depression and improve parenting behavior and child adjustment. By embedding maternal depression treatment into Head Start and other early childhood service settings, investigators hope to expand access to this important treatment.