Currently submitted to: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Oct 15, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Oct 19, 2026 - Nov 4, 2026
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Mom-Net, a Digital Community-Based Depression Intervention for Mothers with Young Children: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Hybrid Type 2 Trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
The universal adoption of mobile technologies in households has created an opportunity to provide mothers with young children access to an evidence-based depression intervention at the most convenient time and location. Utilizing community agencies that provide early childhood education and services, such as Head Start/Early Head Start (HS/EHS), can facilitate reaching families in low-income households.
Objective:
This study will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of community implementation of an evidence-based digital intervention for maternal depression (Mom-Net) in HS/EHS agencies across the United States (US).
Methods:
This hybrid effectiveness-implementation Type 2 study will compare two implementation approaches for the delivery of Mom-Net: (a) the traditional high-intensity psychoeducational coaching approach and (b) a low-intensity coaching approach designed to provide supportive accountability, but not psychoeducational support. Within each coaching implementation approach, we will conduct a two-arm, clustered randomized controlled trial (RCT). Primary outcomes include maternal depression, parenting behavior, and child emotional and behavioral functioning; implementation outcomes include reach, acceptability, feasibility, fidelity, adoption, sustainment, and cost. The sample is being recruited from HS/EHS agencies in the US. Study enrollment was initiated in 2022 and will be concluded at the end of 2026. Participants are mothers with elevated depression symptoms, aged 18 years or older, and who have custody of a child enrolled in HS/EHS, ages 1-5 years.
Results:
The start date of this grant-funded RCT was April 1, 2021. The institutional review board (IRB) approved the protocol on August 19, 2020. Data collection and participant recruitment is ongoing. Thus far we have recruited 216 participants from 25 HS/EHS agencies. Posttest assessments will be completed in 2027.
Conclusions:
The innovative and empirically supported Mom-Net program has the potential to address many of the barriers that more traditional behavioral health implementation strategies have yet to solve, including staffing and resources to implement and sustain family-centered support within agencies providing services to families, such as Head Start and Public Health. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT05142384
Citation
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