What Were We Thinking! (WWWT)
| Name | What Were We Thinking! (WWWT) |
|---|---|
| Target Audience | Parents |
| CfC Objective | Healthy Young Families Supporting Families and Parents |
| Organisation | Monash University |
| Delivery Setting | Community-based |
| Description | Primary universal postpartum mental health prevention and early intervention pyscho-educational program for first time parents/caregivers. WWWT aims to resource and support first-time parents by extending their knowledge and skills in managing their infant's needs. WWWT delivers baby and caregiver content, is father inclusive and helps manage adjustments that occur in the intimate-partner relationship. |
| Delivered to | First time parents/caregivers and their infants aged up to 6 months. |
| Delivered by | Qualified health professionals. |
| Program Structure | WWWT is delivered via three components: face to face seminars; weekly primary care from a trained worker; print materials. WWWT is intended to be conducted with small groups of parents four to six weeks postpartum. The program includes group discussion, active participation in problem solving and negotiation, skills development and supported practice, short talks and practical demonstrations. Topics covered include: infant sleep needs; sustainable routines of daily care; soothing/settling; adjusting to new parenting roles; gendered differences in the losses and gains of parenthood; helping couples develop strategies for non-confrontational conflict resolution and sharing the unpaid workload fairly. |
| Training | Online and face-to-face components required. |
| Resources and materials | Resources are available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and printed materials are available in Vietnamese, Mandarin and Singhalese. WWWT delivery is enhanced by an interactive website and access to a professionally-moderated blog and a mobile app, providing parents with additional online and mobile support. |
| Cost | For information about training costs contact the organisation directly. |
| Contact | Email: [email protected] Website: whatwerewethinking.org.au |
| Evaluation and effectiveness | Results from a cluster randomised controlled trial conducted in 2015 (Fisher et al., 2016) showed that there was a significantly lower prevalence of mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety in women who participated in the WWWT program compared to the control group. A controlled study in 2010 found that the program had a significant positive impact on participants’ ability to cope with the stressors involved in caring for a newborn baby and reduced the incidence of post-partum mental disorders in women (Fisher et al., 2010). Fisher, J., Rowe, H., Wynter, K., Tran, T., Lorgelly, P., Amir, L., Proimos, J., Ranasinha, S., Hiscock, H., Bayer, J., & Cann, W. (2016). A gender-informed, psychoeducational program for couples to prevent postnatal common mental disorders among primiparous women: Cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open, doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009396. Fisher, J.R.W., Wynter, K.H., & Rowe, H. (2010). Innovative psycho-educational program to prevent common postpartum mental disorders in primiparous women: a before and after controlled study. BMC Public Health, 432(10). See also: Rowe, H., Wynter, K., Burns, J., & Fisher, J. (2016). A complex postnatal mental health intervention: Australian translational formative evaluation. Health Promotion International, pii: dav110. [Epub ahead of print]. Fisher, J., Rowe, H., Hiscock, H., Jordan, B., Bayer, J., Colahan, A., & Amery, V. (2011). Understanding and responding to unsettled infant behaviour: A discussion paper for the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth. Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth: Melbourne. |