Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary Community-based Parent-child Program Promoting Mental Health and Social Participation in Children 5-7 years-old
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Grant: Students Partnering with Faculty
Shauna Corbet
CoPIs:
Dervain Mattos, Meaghan Pannasch
College:
The College of Health Professions and Human Services
Major:
Occupational Therapy
Faculty Research Advisor(s):
Amanda Sarafian, Mansi Brat
Abstract:
Evidence supporting initial positive relationships between a parent and child has brought about parent education programs designed to improve
parent-child relationships. These programs are guided by attachment theory, social learning theory, and objective skills such
as broadening parent-child connections by advancing parent-child play, praise, and positive reinforcement. Education related to neurobiology and
positive parenting fosters understanding and application. Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) is an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how
secure relationships affect the brain focusing on ways relationships and the brain interact to shape the mind, drawing from cognitive and affective
neurosciences, developmental psychology, and wisdom traditions. The Nurtured Heart Approach (NHA) is a therapeutic method
teachers, parents, educators, and clinicians to recognize and promote positive behaviors and connected relationships. Evidence supports the
NHA to improve well-being for parent and child, positive attention to their children, decreased responding with negativity, and an increase in
parent confidence. This study examined the benefits of multidisciplinary community-based group intervention including NHA education and activities based in interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB) to note differences in the parent-child relationship amongst families with inadequate access to mental health care. This one group pre-test post-test study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining standardized assessments, group observations, and qualitative interviews to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of the 10 week parent-child program at an urban community center.
Participants were drawn from community gatekeepers, ensuring a representative sample that encompasses marginalized identities. In this poster, the findings are summarized.