Child Directed Interaction Training for young children in kinship care: A pilot study

Abstract

This pilot study used a randomized controlled trial design to examine the feasibility and explore initial outcomes of a twice weekly, 8-session Child Directed Interaction Training (CDIT) program for children living in kinship care. Participants included 14 grandmothers and great-grandmothers with their 2- to 7-year-old children randomized either to CDIT or a waitlist control condition. Training was delivered at a local, community library with high fidelity to the training protocol. There was no attrition in either condition. After training, kinship caregivers in the CDIT condition demonstrated more positive relationships with their children during behavioral observation. The caregivers in the CDIT condition also reported clinically and statistically significant decreases in parenting stress and caregiver depression, as well as fewer externalizing child behavior problems than waitlist controls. Parent daily report measures indicated significant changes in disciplining that included greater use of limit-setting and less use of critical verbal force. Results appeared stable at 3-month follow-up. Changes in child internalizing behaviors and caregiver use of non-critical verbal force were not seen until 3-month follow-up. Results of this pilot study suggest both the feasibility of conducting full scale randomized clinical trials of CDIT in the community and the promise of this approach for providing effective parent training for kinship caregivers.

From grandparenthood to great-grandparenthood. Exploring a family role

“…The roles and typologies of grandparenthood since Neugarten & Weinstein's pioneer and referential work in 1964 (Formal, Fun Seeker, Subrogate Parent, Reservoir of Family Wisdom, and Distant Figure) in changing family contexts have been well-studied (Bordone, Arpino, & Aassve, 2017;Cherlin & Furstenberg, 1986;Kivnick, 1983;Rico, Serra, & Viguer, 2001;Robertson, 1977;Roberto & Stroes, 1992;Timonen & Arber, 2012;Uhlenberg & Hammill, 1998). However, the role of great-grandparenthood has not; what is more, the few studies that exist often involve considerably fewer participants----we were not able to find any with a sample of more than 52 participants (Barer, 2001;Doka & Mertz, 1988;Drew & Silverstein, 2004;N'zi, Stevens, & Eybert, 2016;Reese & Murray, 1996;Wentowski, 1985), with the exception of one study carried out in Israel with a sample of 103 great-grandparents (Even-Zohar & Garby, 2016).…”

The contribution of grandmother involvement to child growth and development: an observational study in rural Pakistan

“…While we did not find studies examining grandmother involvement and developmental outcomes in LMIC, evidence from high-income countries corroborate our findings. [59][60][61][62] We speculate that the Calculations were based on the total sample of participants present at either 12 months or 24 months (n=772). Percentages were based on weighted data to account for both the sampling design in which one in every three non-depressed pregnant women was eligible for study inclusion and the inverse probability of missingness.…”

A meta-analytic review of parenting interventions in foster care and adoption

“…Three studies reported intervention (non)effects on empathy using the Measurement of Empathy in Adult–Child Interaction (Carnes-Holt, 2010; Carnes-Holt & Bratton, 2014; Opiola, 2016), but after in depth review of this measure, it was decided that this instrument fitted the sensitive parenting construct. Other studies labeled their outcome “parenting” or “parent–child interaction,” which were coded as sensitive parenting (i.e., Mersky et al, 2015; N'zi et al, 2016), dysfunctional discipline (i.e., Bywater et al, 2010; Ciff et al, 2015), or knowledge and attitudes (i.e., Lee & Holland, 1991; Pithouse, Hill-Tout, & Lowe, 2002; Puddy & Jackson, 2003; Spieker et al, 2012). Two meta-analyses were performed for child behavior problems: one including studies with results on behavior problems reported only by parents, and one including studies with results on parent and teacher/professional-reported behavior problems.…”

“…Consistent parental disciplining and positive reinforcement of desired child behavior may additionally be necessary to reduce child behavior problems (Patterson, 1982). Dysfunctional disciplining strategies can be reduced with parenting interventions (Ciff, Rus, Butterfield, & Parris, 2015; N'zi, Stevens, & Eyberg, 2016; Van Zeijl et al, 2006). In addition, for foster and adoptive parents, it may be relevant to understand where the children's problems regarding (attachment) behavior and stress regulation come from.…”