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Modification to a Systematically Braided Parent-support Curriculum: Results from a Feasibility Pilot

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Abstract

Objectives

There are a variety of parent-support programs designed to improve parenting and, thereby, the safety and well-being of children. Providers trained in multiple programs are likely to select components of interventions they feel will meet the needs of the families they serve leaving out aspects they deem unnecessary or redundant. In so doing, the fidelity of the evidence-based program is at risk. A potential solution is systematic braiding in which evidence-based programs are combined such that the fidelity to each original model and its implementation are maintained.

Methods

Drawing on qualitative feedback from a prior iteration, this paper discusses results of a feasibility and acceptability pilot of a modified version of the systematically braided Parents as Teachers and SafeCare at Home (PATSCH) curriculum. This modification removed a provider-perceived “redundant” portion from the original PATSCH curriculum. A pre-post design (N= 18) was used to evaluate the efficacy of the modified curriculum.

Results

Significant improvements were seen in trained parent behaviors surrounding home safety and child health. There was also improvement in self-reported parenting behaviors, the portion of the braided curriculum removed, suggesting that the PAT curriculum adequately teaches these skills. Providers and parents were highly satisfied with the modified curriculum.

Conclusions

If a curriculum is modified to reflect provider and parent preferences, then the potential for delivery without fidelity is minimized.

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Author Contributions

K.G.: designed and executed the study, conducted data analyses, and wrote the manuscript. K.M.: executed the study and reviewed the final manuscript. B.S.L.: oversaw data analysis and reviewed results section of the manuscript. J.S.C. & D.J.W.: collaborated with the design of the study and assisted with editing the final manuscript. A.K.: collaborated in the editing of the final manuscript. J.R.L.: designed and oversaw the execution of the study and collaborated in the editing of the final manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, PI: J.R. Lutzker. K. Guastaferro was supported in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers T32DA017629 and P50 DA039838. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Methodology Center, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Kate Guastaferro

  2. The Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development, National SafeCare Training and Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Katy Miller, Jenelle Shanley, Daniel J. Whitaker & John R. Lutzker

  3. School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Betty S. Lai

  4. Parents as Teachers National Office, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Allison Kemner

Authors
  1. Kate Guastaferro
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  2. Katy Miller
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  3. Betty S. Lai
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  4. Jenelle Shanley
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  5. Allison Kemner
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  6. Daniel J. Whitaker
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  7. John R. Lutzker
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kate Guastaferro.

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Conflict of Interest

J.R. Lutzker is the developer of SafeCare. The remaining authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Georgia State University Institute Review Board provided approval for this study.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Guastaferro, K., Miller, K., Lai, B.S. et al. Modification to a Systematically Braided Parent-support Curriculum: Results from a Feasibility Pilot. J Child Fam Stud 28, 1780–1789 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01369-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01369-w

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