781 - Promoting Child and Family Resilience Through Parent Groups in Primary Care: A Qualitative Study of the Resilience Clinic

Publication Number: 781.6409

Jayne Skinner, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, United States; Jennifer Martinez, Boston University School of Medicine, Allston, MA, United States; Joan Jeung, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, United States

Background: Given the health risks associated with childhood adversity, more research is needed on interventions mitigating these effects. Based in a federally qualified health center, the Resilience Clinic (RC) is a caregiver group psychoeducational intervention designed to foster resilience in children and families exposed to adversity (Table 1).

Objective: Improve program quality by gathering caregiver feedback on motivations for participation, intervention strengths/benefits, limitations, accessibility, and suggestions for improvement.

Design/Methods: Study design: Semi-structured interviews of n=33 caregivers conducted virtually in English and Spanish. Study population: Caregivers of children ages 0-5 years referred to RC by their child’s primary care provider (PCP), including 23 participants and 10 non-participants. Data Analysis: Audio recordings were auto-transcribed, cleaned, translated, and de-identified. Interview transcripts underwent inductive, thematic qualitative analysis. This study received Institutional Review Board approval as minimal risk research.

Results: Among RC participants, the majority (87%) reported high satisfaction with the program. Motivations for participation included: desire to strengthen parenting skills or improve stress management, concerns for child behavior, interest in connecting with other parents, and the recommendation of their child’s PCP. Participants reported learning new ways to understand and manage difficult emotions or behaviors in their children and responding to outbursts with greater patience. Parents also reported improved personal stress management through techniques such as deep breathing, self-care, empathy, and gratitude. Additionally, participants reported that the group format fostered community among parents and that they felt cared for by RC staff. Many reported the value of receiving books, toys, and a binder of parenting resources. Suggested changes included increasing session length, extending program duration, adjusting meeting times, and adding individual coaching. Non-participants cited time constraints, scheduling conflicts, content mismatch with needs, and preference for individual therapy as reasons for not joining.

Conclusion(s): This qualitative evaluation of the Resilience Clinic, a primary care-based parenting intervention, indicates high satisfaction with the stress management and parenting skills content, as well as with the group format. Benefits seem to be rooted in enhanced connections with their child, other parents, and staff, underscoring the relational strengths of group interventions.

Table 1: Overview of the Resilience Clinic Curriculum
Table 1 provides an overview of the Resilience Clinic curriculum. Sessions 1-4 focus on attachment-based parenting (Circle of Security-Parenting); sessions 5-6 are based on mindful stress management (Dovetail).