Two new, peer-reviewed studies found that 12 years after participating in the Nurse-Family Partnership public health program, nurse-visited mothers required less government aid and their children were better adjusted in several ways than control subjects.

One study involved 594 interviews and 613 record reviews for nurse-visited and control-group Memphis, Tenn., mothers when their firstborn child was 12 years old. Compared to control subjects, nurse-visited mothers stayed in relationships with their partners more than seven months longer on average, reported less alcohol -and drug-related impairment in carrying out maternal responsibilities, and felt a greater sense of mastery in managing their lives. These women incurred $1,025 less per year on average in food stamps, Medicaid and other government assistance (in 2006 dollars).

The other study interviewed and reviewed records of 191 firstborn 12-year-olds whose mothers participated in NFP, and compared them to 422 children whose mothers had been assigned at random to a control group during their mothers’ pregnancies. The number of nurse-visited children using cigarettes, alcohol or marijuana was several times less than control subjects, and nurse-visited children reported less anxiety or depression (22% vs. 31%). Nurse-visited children born to women with low psychological resources (an aggregate of mental health characteristics) also scored several points higher, on average, on multiple standardized math and reading tests.

The researchers did not find statistically significant differences between nurse-visited children and control subjects 12 years later in terms of overall behavioral problems, and no significant effects were seen on mothers’ marital status, intimate partner violence, arrest rates and other markers. In some situations, raw numbers were too low to compare with statistical confidence.

The papers appear in the May 2010 edition of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.