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Providers’ Perspectives on Implementing a Multiple Family Group for Children with Disruptive Behavior

Journal of Child and Family Studies volume 29, pages 1008–1020 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives

The adoption of research-supported treatments is contingent upon multiple interactional levels, including provider level factors. Provider-level factors have been shown to be critical to uptake. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between sociodemographic factors, attitudes, and perceived barriers/facilitators to implementation through a comparative approach involving practitioners trained to facilitate a multiple family group intervention for children with disruptive behavior.

Methods

Participants included 91 practitioners who participated in an intervention study regarding barriers to adopting an evidence-based practice. Demographic characteristics were collected via a socio-demographic questionnaire. Barriers and facilitators were assessed via open-ended questions as well as a scale, developed by the authors and guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research that explored provider views regarding the intervention, the systemic and organizational context, experience facilitating groups and involving families in treatment, and feelings toward involving families in treatment. Between group analyses were conducted to examine demographic and characteristic differences of providers by implementation status. Independent samples t-tests for continuous characteristics and chi-square tests for categorical characteristics were used. Responses to open-ended questions were compiled, reviewed, and coded, and frequencies and percentages were calculated.

Results

Results demonstrated that providers who implemented the intervention were significantly more likely to have favorable attitudes toward the intervention compared to those who did not implement it. Prior experience facilitating groups was significantly associated with implementation. Common barriers to implementation included ineligible caseloads and feeling unqualified to deliver the intervention.

Conclusions

Further attention on improving recruitment rates and promoting adequate training and supervision is needed.

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Author Contributions

E.H. and M.A. designed and executed the study and wrote the introduction, and results section of the paper. L.B. analyzed the quantitative data and wrote part of the results section. I.F. assisted with data collection and qualitative analysis, wrote the qualitative results section, and collaborated in the editing of the final manuscript. K.L. and M.G. analyzed the qualitative data and wrote the qualitative methods section.

Funding

This study was funded by NIMH (R01- MH-106771).

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Affiliations

  1. McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research, New York, NY, USA

    Emily K. Hamovitch, Mary Acri, Idan Falek, Kate Lambert & Madeline Galler

  2. University of Michigan School of Social Work, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Lindsay A. Bornheimer

Authors
  1. Emily K. Hamovitch
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  2. Mary Acri
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  3. Lindsay A. Bornheimer
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  4. Idan Falek
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  5. Kate Lambert
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  6. Madeline Galler
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emily K. Hamovitch.

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The 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. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors. This study was approved by New York University’s Institutional Review Board.

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

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Hamovitch, E.K., Acri, M., Bornheimer, L.A. et al. Providers’ Perspectives on Implementing a Multiple Family Group for Children with Disruptive Behavior. J Child Fam Stud 29, 1008–1020 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01667-3

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Keywords

  • Research-supported treatment
  • Behavioral disorder
  • Multiple family group
  • Implementation
  • Child mental health