Prevalence and correlates of depression in early childhood home visitors serving rural Colombian families

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Limited information is available on early childhood provider depression, particularly in lower and middle-income (LMIC) countries, yet evidence from diverse fields indicates that depression negatively affects work functioning. Given extensive investment worldwide in early childhood home visiting programs, understanding home visitor mental health may help improve services for families. The current investigation examined the prevalence and correlates of depression in early childhood home visitors working in rural Colombia.Methods Three hundred and forty-one home visitors (N = 341) completed the Spanish versions of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory, and self-reported socio-demographic and job-related information. Cross-sectional, clustered statistical analyses were employed in STATA Software.Results Thirteen percent of home visitors met the cut off score for depression. Higher home visitor depression was related to maternal depression among beneficiaries. Additionally, depression was higher among home visitors who were older and those who identified their marital status as separated. Depression was lower among home visitors who completed more home visits and those with higher educational attainment.Conclusions Early childhood providers experienced interconnections in their depression with those whom they served. In addition, social environmental factors related to home visitor depression were identified. The results from this study speak to the importance of considering providers’ mental health as part of the effort of disseminating high quality early childhood home visiting programs. Program and clinical implications are further discussed.