Downloads

Download working paper here
PDF | 648.97 KB
We study the impacts of a prenatal and infancy home visiting program targeting disadvantaged families on mental health outcomes, assessed through diagnostic interviews. The program significantly reduced the prevalence of mental health conditions for both mothers and children, measured at primary-school age, and broke the intergenerational association of these conditions. The impacts are predominantly associated with a particular delivery model, wherein a single home visitor interacts with the family, as opposed to a model involving two home visitors.
Authors

Research Fellow University College London
Gabriella is a Research Fellow of the IFS and a Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics and in the Department of Social Science at UCL.


Working Paper details
- DOI
- 10.1920/wp.ifs.2024.3424
- Publisher
- Institute for Fiscal Studies
Suggested citation
G, Conti and S, Kliem and M, Sandner. (2024). Early home visiting delivery model and maternal and child mental health at primary school age. 24/34. London: Institute for Fiscal Studies. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/early-home-visiting-delivery-model-and-maternal-and-child-mental-health-primary-school (accessed: 19 July 2025).
More from IFS
Understand this issue

Sure Start’s wide-ranging and long-lasting benefits highlight the impact of integrated early years services
Over the long run, Sure Start’s financial benefits could be twice as high as its costs
22 May 2025

Why is the government reforming health-related benefits?
We discuss the government's welfare reforms aimed at helping sick and disabled people into work, and what the changes mean for health-related benefits
14 May 2025

Simulated list size and performance against the 18-week target under a variety of treatment growth rate assumptions
Although performance improves in each case, in none of our scenarios does performance reach the 92% target by the end of the parliament.
20 March 2025
Policy analysis

The short- and medium-term effects of Sure Start on children’s outcomes
An evaluation of Sure Start’s impacts on education, health, absences, special educational needs, crime and social care, plus a cost–benefit analysis.
22 May 2025

Working in your 60s: a way to stay young for some
On average, women who remained in work for longer following increases in the state pension age saw improved cognition and less physical disability.
13 May 2025

Council tax hikes will do the heavy lifting
IFS Senior Research Economist Kate Ogden writes in Municipal Journal about what the 2025 Spending Review will mean for public services and councils.
17 June 2025
Academic research

Intergenerational altruism and transfers of time and money: a life cycle perspective
We find that parental time investments increase children's human capital, but parents also enjoy time spent with children more than work.
1 July 2025

A symposium on poverty, the safety net and child development: preface
These papers revise current understanding of the consequences of child poverty and of the role of safety nets for protecting disadvantaged children.
23 June 2025

Theoretical and empirical perspectives on the link between poverty, parenting and children's outcomes
We examine different channels through which poverty affects child outcomes, as well as the evidence regarding the magnitude of their impacts.
23 June 2025