Noting that families in home visiting early intervention programs receive only about half the number of intended visits, this research used quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate how personality and other factors affect the mother-home visitor relationship and thereby, influence home visit intensity. Participating in the study were 5 Early Head Start home visitors and 41 young Black mothers to whom the visitors were assigned. Although federal requirements stipulated at least three 90-minute home visits per month, with 3 visits by Early Head Start staff and one by Parents as Teachers educators, this requirement was not met during the first 2 program years. Analyses using multi-level modeling indicated that maternal personality-based achievement striving and desire for control were negatively related to home visit intensity (more home visits); maternal stress reaction and alienation predicted greater intensity. Home visitors' higher levels of well-being and higher levels of stress-reaction also predicted increased home visit intensity. Themes emerging from qualitative data obtained from interviews of parents and mothers include the following: (1) accuracy of information on program policies may contribute to mothers' willingness to participate; (2) establishing a close relationship with mothers and their children may affect mothers' confidence in the home visitor; (3) mothers' individual characteristics, work hours, and their similarity to the home visitor influenced service intensity; (4) home visitors tried to protect parents; and (5) some mothers' evaluations of home visitors were highly positive and inaccurate, likewise, some home visitors were overly optimistic about the mothers they served. (KB)