A home visit intervention program for adolescents throughout their pregnancy and during the early stages of motherhood was evaluated. The participants (N = 90) were part of a larger group of adolescents treated in two health centers in a poor neighborhood in Santiago, Chile. The program was carried out by volunteer community health monitors and evaluated through an experimental, randomized, controlled clinical trial. Cost-effectiveness was examined in comparison with standard health care. Results show higher scores for the intervention group on the mothers’ mental health and nutritional state, as well as on the children’s levels of linguistic development.

De acuerdo a la Encuesta Nacional de Salud³, realizada entre los años 2009 y 2010, la prevalencia de síntomas depresivos en la personas mayores de 15 años es de 17,2%, valor que aumenta a 25,7% si se considera sólo a las mujeres. Según los datos epidemiológicos arrojados por el estudio de Vicente y cols. en el año 2002, la prevalencia de vida de depresión alcanza a 9% en las mujeres y 6,4% en los hombres⁴. De acuerdo al estudio de carga de enfermedad y carga atribuible, la depresión unipolar es la segunda causa de años de vida perdidos ajustados por discapacidad en población general en Chile y la primera en mujeres entre 20 y 44 años⁵. Entre los años 2008 y 2009, los trastornos mentales y del comportamiento generaron el mayor gasto por concepto de licencias médicas en el país (20,7%), y dentro de estos trastornos, la depresión corresponde a 59,3%⁶.

Clients', therapists', and observers' identification of change was studied in 27 therapeutic processes, and agreement on the amount, temporal location, and content of change was related to outcome. Results show that clients reported more changes in successful therapies. Client–therapist temporal match of change moments was low irrespective of outcome. Results from all three perspectives were consistent in that manifestation of new behaviors and emotions was the most representative content of change among all therapies. Meanwhile, client–therapist agreement on the frequency of grouped change indicators reported was associated with positive outcome, whereas client–observer agreement was related to negative outcome. Therapists and observers agreed in both successful and nonsuccessful therapies. The relationship between agreement and therapeutic outcome is discussed in relation to each dimension of analysis.

Parental psychological control (PC) hinders the development of autonomy, identity formation, and the attainment of self-determination and individuation of adolescents. The aim of this study was to deepen the understanding of which conditions increase the risk of the use of maternal PC by simultaneously considering the contribution of adolescent temperament, maternal separation anxiety, and adolescents’ perception of interparental conflict. A correlational study involving a sample of 106 Chilean adolescent-mother dyads was done. Adolescents were, on average, 15.42 years old (SD = 1.09) and 77% male. Mothers were, on average, 45.46 years old (SD = 6.39). We administered self-report questionnaires to the adolescent measuring effortful control and frustration as temperamental dimensions, along with the perception of interparental conflict. Mothers reported on their separation anxiety. Both the adolescents and their mothers reported on the use of maternal PC. Adolescents reported higher levels of maternal PC than their mothers did. All predictors were associated with PC reports. Higher levels of maternal anxiety about adolescent distancing, inter-parental conflict, and adolescent frustration were associated with higher reported levels of PC. In contrast, higher levels of adolescent effortful control were associated with lower levels of maternal PC. Finally, when maternal separation anxiety and inter-parental conflict were high there was a higher use of maternal PC. The present findings inform on how adolescent’s self-regulatory skills could reduce the risk of being exposed to maternal PC. And highlight the importance of using a systemic and interactional conceptualization when trying to understand their use.

The purpose of this study is to improve the current understanding of the relation between depression and attachment through the evaluation of the role of personality styles (dependent vs self-critical) and social support in this association. These variables were studied in a clinical sample of 70 depressed outpatients (83% women; M=41.47 years, SD=12.91). Depressive symptomatology was assessed through the Beck Depression Inventory, adult attachment through the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, social support through the Social Support Questionnaire and dependency and self-criticism through the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire. Mediational and moderation regression analyses were performed. Results show that the association between the dimensions of attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and depression was partially mediated by self-criticism. Furthermore, results demonstrate the role of social support as a moderating variable: when the level of satisfaction with social support was low and the anxiety dimension in the attachment scale was high, as avoidance increased, depressive symptoms increased as well. Results are discussed in relation to their importance for understanding the complex interplay of the variables involved in depression.