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Perspectives on Engagement Barriers and Alternative Delivery Formats from Non-completers of a Community-Run Parenting Program

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Abstract

The purpose of our study was to learn about barriers to participation faced by families who had signed up for but not completed a community-based parenting program that was not part of a research project. We also sought to gauge interest in alternative, web-based methods of delivering a parent training intervention. Semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with 27 parents who had signed up for but not completed a community-based parenting program. Results indicated that practical reasons such as scheduling were the most common barrier faced by parents. Results also suggested substantial interest in alternative web-based and hybrid models of program delivery. Hybrid models would allow participants to move between face-to-face small group classes and web-based classes; allowing for easy make-up of missed small-group sessions. Interventions designed by community organizations and researchers should consider using alternative methods, including hybrid models, of program delivery in order to reach a larger number of individuals.

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Correspondence to Kristin Duppong-Hurley.

Additional information

The preparation of this article was supported in part by the Implementation Research Institute (IRI), at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis; through an award from the National Institute of Mental Health (R25 MH080916-01A2) and the Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research & Development Service, Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) and by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R324B110001 to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the U.S. Department of Education.

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Duppong-Hurley, K., Hoffman, S., Barnes, B. et al. Perspectives on Engagement Barriers and Alternative Delivery Formats from Non-completers of a Community-Run Parenting Program. J Child Fam Stud 25, 545–552 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0253-0

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