Improving Parent-Child Relationships for Young Parents in the Shadow of Complex Trauma: A Single-Case Experimental Design Series.

This study provides a preliminary evaluation of a dyadic intervention for young parents with a history of complex trauma, Holding Hands Young Parents (HHYP). Four mothers (17-22 years) and toddlers (12-33 months) completed the intervention, designed to improve parent-child relationships, parental self-regulation, self-efficacy and mental health, and child behaviour/emotional problems. An A-B single case experimental design series with follow-up and randomised baseline, used observational and self-report measures throughout. Linear mixed models demonstrated improvement in reciprocity and parental sensitivity over the treatment phase, with no evidence of shifts in scores at beginning or end of treatment. There was no evidence for changes in child engagement, negative states, intrusiveness or withdrawal. Reliable Change Index indicated improvement in parent-reported self-regulation, self-efficacy, stress and child emotional/behavioural problems from baseline to follow-up for all four mothers; depression showed reliable change for three. This study demonstrates relational change between young parents and their toddlers and provides preliminary data on the HHYP protocol.

Program Components of Psychosocial Interventions in Foster and Kinship Care: A Systematic Review.

Foster children frequently experience early trauma that significantly impacts their neurobiological, psychological and social development. This systematic review examines the comparative effectiveness of foster and kinship care interventions. It examines the components within each intervention, exploring their potential to benefit child and carer well-being, particularly focussing on child behaviour problems, and relational functioning. Systematic searches of electronic databases included PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, the Cochrane Collaborations Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Scopus to identify randomised or quasi-randomised trials of psychosocial foster/kinship care interventions, published between 1990 and 2016. Seventeen studies describing 14 interventions were included. Eleven studies reported comparative benefit compared to control. Overall, effective interventions had clearly defined aims, targeted specific domains and developmental stages, provided coaching or role play, and were developed to ameliorate the effects of maltreatment and relationship disruption. Interventions effective in reducing behaviour problems included consistent discipline and positive reinforcement components, trauma psychoeducation, problem-solving and parent-related components. Interventions effective in improving parent-child relationships included components focussed on developing empathic, sensitive and attuned parental responses to children's needs. Given the prevalence of both behaviour problems and relational difficulties in foster families, targeting these needs is essential. However, interventions have tended to measure outcomes in either behavioural or relational terms. A more coordinated and collaborative research approach would provide a better understanding of the association between parent-child relationships and child behaviour problems. This would allow us to develop, deliver and evaluate programs that combine these components more effectively. Protocol Registration Number: PROSPERO CRD42016048411.

Methodological Challenges to the Evaluation of Interventions for Foster/Kinship Carers and Children: A Systematic Review.

Caregivers of children in alternative care face a complex range of challenges that can result in placement disruption and poor long-term outcomes. Interventions designed to help carers meet these challenges report positive outcomes. Nevertheless, several reviewers have reported these positive results may be mitigated by limitations in trial methodology. This review aims to systematically review these methodological challenges and limitations, to provide an analysis of the current state of the evidence base for these interventions. A systematic review was conducted into the methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for foster and kinship carers. Limitations relating to internal validity, external validity and clinical heterogeneity were identified and synthesised. Seventeen studies met inclusion criteria. The quality of methods used in the included studies is mixed, with high and unknown levels of bias in the majority of trials. Heterogeneity in participant characteristics, intervention aims and outcome measures across interventions reflect the diversity of carer and child needs and make it difficult to generalise results or compare and synthesise the efficacy of different interventions. These factors limit the application of trial results to evidence-based clinical practice. The diverse and complex needs of this population present significant challenges to robustly evaluating interventions for foster/kinship families. Participant needs, theoretical approaches, intervention aims and outcome measures need to be better coordinated, both within trials and across the field. Exploratory research should be used to generate focussed and concrete hypotheses that can be robustly tested in high-quality randomised controlled trials. Protocol registration number: CRD 42017048415.