The analysis of effectiveness was based on several measures of outcome:
the mother-infant interaction was assessed at 12 months, coded for maternal sensitivity and infant cooperativeness using the CARE Index;
maternal psychopathology was assessed at 6 and 12 months using the General Health Questionnaire;
postnatal depression was assessed at 8 weeks using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale;
parental attitudes and competence was assessed at 6 and 12 months using the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory; and
parental competence/confidence and experience was assessed using the Parenting Sense of Competence scale, and "What Being a Parent of a Baby is Like".
Other outcome measures were:
social support, marital/partner discord, self-esteem, perceived self-efficacy and parenting stress, assessed at 6 and 12 months using the Social Support Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory, Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale and the Parenting Stress Inventory;
the quality of the infant's home environment, assessed at 12 months using HOME Inventory;
infant-toddler social and emotional adjustment, assessed using the Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment;
infant development, assessed independently at 12 months using the Bayley Scale of Infant Development;
maternal assessment of the infant's temperament measured using the Infant Temperament Scale;
the parents' report of infant well-being at 6 months; and
health visitor data related to cases conferences, children on the protection register, children removed from home and child deaths.