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A report of an evaluation of the Nurturing Attachments Group provided across four geographical areas. Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and Practice (DDP) is a model developed by Dan Hughes for supporting children who have experienced developmental traumas. The Nurturing Attachments group work programme is a DDP-informed intervention which has been provided by Adoptionplus to groups of adoptive families. Twenty-nine adoptive families consented to participate in the quantitative study which involved completing a range of questionnaires pre- and post- their attendance at the group and to provide session-by-session ratings reporting how close they felt to achieving their self-selected goals. Additionally, 8 of these parents were randomly selected to participate in a qualitative analysis of their experience.

PhD (Social Work), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2017 This research project was aimed at developing a parenting skills programme to enhance the school readiness of Grade R learners. A lack of school readiness was identified as one factor contributing to the high number of learners dropping out of school. In South Africa where only 50% of learners who enter the formal school system, reach Grade 12, the problem of unemployment persists and the cycle of poverty is perpetuated. On the other hand, completing education successfully leads to marketable skills and prosperity for the individual as well as for the country as a whole. School readiness is described in literature as a multi-dimensional concept including cognitive skills as well as social and emotional skills and it is generally accepted that children need to be school ready in all these domains of development in order to integrate successfully into the school system. The role of parents as key role players in children’s immediate ecosystem, was identified as of critical significance in the development of school readiness. Focus group discussions with role players in the two target communities revealed serious socio-economic challenges affecting the quality of parenting and the lives of the children living in these communities. It was also found that that there are significant deficits in parenting behaviours impacting negatively on the development of school readiness. In order to develop a parenting skills programme to enhance the school readiness of Grade R learners, the six steps of intervention research were applied. The research was qualitative in nature and a philosophical paradigm of social constructivism was followed. Three main components of parenting were identified and addressed through twelve topics. The prototype was developed around these topics and each session included a variety of activities addressing all the aspects of school readiness. An important aspect of the intervention programme was that the Grade R learners participated together with their parents in the activities. The programme was implemented in three schools. Minor changes were made to the prototype and the programme was repeated in one target school the following year. Thirteen interviews with participating parents indicated that the programme had been successful in reaching its aim and objectives. The parents indicated that they had improved in three important areas of parenting impacting on school readiness, namely parent-child relationship, interaction between parent and children and creating a home learning environment. The research was successful in proving that a parenting skills programme can develop and improve parenting behaviours that lay the foundation for the development of school readiness. Doctoral

PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2017 Postnatal depression (PND) is a common mental healthcare problem in the puerperal period. The aetiological factors have been researched extensively and research shows that PND develops due to the complex interaction of biological, psychological and social factors. The quality of the couples’ relationship has been identified as an important contributing and maintaining factor, but also a protective factor in the prevention and faster recovery from depressive symptoms. Relationship difficulties and a lack of support are modifiable and could effectively be addressed through therapeutic intervention. Regardless, few parenting programmes focus on the parents as a unit and often excludes the father. This results in the elimination of a valuable and available source of support. The first aim of this study was to explore couples’ experience of maternal postnatal depression in a group of parents in a South African setting. A qualitative approach was used in order to gain a deeper understanding of the nature and impact of PND from the perspective of couples who experience it first-hand. The design of the first research aim was exploratory and descriptive in nature. Purposive sampling was used in the selection of participants. The sample consisted of 13 multiparous couples with an infant younger than twelve months of age. The researcher engaged with couples who experience maternal PND in order to learn from their experience and gain an understanding of this population’s unique needs. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and was analysed through thematic data analysis. Themes that emerged highlighted a noteworthy physical, psychological and interpersonal impact on all members in the family system. The second aim was to identify themes by means of an analysis of the literature and from the data obtained through the semi-structured interviews, in order to determine what essential elements need to be included in an integrative parenting programme for parents where the mother suffers from postnatal depression. This was done with the purpose of compiling such a programme. The research design for aim two was interpretive. Through a thorough literature analysis and semi-structured interviews with couples who experience maternal PND, four categories of crucial elements for a programme of this nature was identified namely: support and debriefing; improved knowledge of the condition by means of psycho-education; cognitive restructuring and the acquisition of practical parenting and coping skills. The third aim entailed the presentation of the integrative parenting programme to a panel of experts with experience in the field of PND. Utilizing the Delphi method, experts were requested to critically evaluate the quality of the structure and content of the programme, with the aim of refining and finalising the proposed programme. The research design for this aim was exploratory, the researcher drew from the wealth of knowledge of experts who actively work with mothers or couples who experience maternal PND. Ten professionals from different mental health disciplines participated in the evaluation and commented on the arrangement, content, methods, strengths, limitations and probable challenges of the suggested programme. These recommendations served as a guide in the enhancement of the integrative parenting programme. In conclusion, this study offers a new parenting programme for couples who experience maternal PND, that serves to address the following needs: to strengthen the family’s support system and to combat isolation; to educate couples about PND; to strengthen individual coping resources; to improve the couples’ relationship; to increase the parents’ sense of self-efficacy regarding the parenting role and to encourage moments of joyful interaction within the family Doctoral

Evaluation of the Mellow Futures pilot parenting programme for mothers with learning difficulties

Evaluation report regarding the English pilot of the Mellow Futures parent programme for mothers with learning difficulties.

BackgroundThe importance of early intervention approaches for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been increasingly acknowledged. Parenting programmes (PPs) are recommended for use with preschool children with ADHD. However, low ‘take-up’ and high ‘drop-out’ rates compromise the effectiveness of such programmes within the community.MethodsThis qualitative study examined the views of 25 parents and 18 practitioners regarding currently available PPs for preschool children with ADHD-type problems in the UK. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to identify both barriers and facilitators associated with programme access, programme effectiveness, and continued engagement.Results and conclusionsMany of the themes mirrored previous accounts relating to generic PPs for disruptive behaviour problems. There were also a number of ADHD-specific themes. Enhancing parental motivation to change parenting practice and providing an intervention that addresses the parents' own needs (e.g. in relation to self-confidence, depression or parental ADHD), in addition to those of the child, were considered of particular importance. Comparisons between the views of parents and practitioners highlighted a need to increase awareness of parental psychological barriers among practitioners and for better programme advertising generally. Clinical implications and specific recommendations drawn from these findings are discussed and presented.

A number of researchers and policy makers have recently argued that the most effective way of dealing with long-run disadvantage and the intergenerational transmission of poverty is through early childhood intervention and in particular policies aimed at supporting the family in early childhood development. In this paper we carry out a randomised evaluation of one such programme aimed at improving the skills and parenting strategies of parents, particularly those who find their child's behaviour difficult or challenging. Our evaluation shows that the treatment significantly reduced behavioural problems in young children when measured 6 months after the intervention. Furthermore our detailed cost analysis, combined with a consideration of the potential long-run benefits associated with the programme, suggest that the long-run rate of return to society from this programme is likely to be relatively high.

The current mixed-method study investigates the effects of a culturally adapted version of the International Child Development Programme (ICDP) with 135 mothers – 29 ethnic Pakistani mothers residing in Norway attending Urdu-language groups and a comparison group of 105 Norwegian mothers attending Norwegian-language groups. All mothers completed questionnaires on parenting and psychosocial health before and after participating in the ICDP programme. In-depth interviews with a subgroup of 12 ethnic Pakistani mothers and 8 ethnic Norwegian mothers were analysed using thematic analysis. Before the ICDP programme, the Urdu-speaking mothers spent more time with the child, scored higher on distant child management and reported poorer mental health. Most changes over time were similar but significant for the Norwegian-speaking group only, which might imply that the minority mothers were in the process of change. In the interviews, the Urdu-speaking mothers’ emphasized enhanced communication and regulation as well as enhanced family relationships and life quality, whereas the Norwegian-speaking group told about increased consciousness and empowerment, and a more positive focus.

Background Applications of mindfulness during the perinatal period have recently been explored and appear to offer a decrease in stress, anxiety and depression during this period. However, it still remains unclear what practical use women make of mindfulness during the postpartum period and the mechanisms through which it works. The subjective experience of mindfulness practice by mothers is not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to explore how women enrolled in a “Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting programme” experienced mindfulness practice during the postpartum period. Methods Ten pregnant women over 18 years of age with singleton pregnancies, no diagnoses of mental illness and participation in a “Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting programme” were recruited to take part in a postpartum interview. Audio recordings of the interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically based on a phenomenological approach. The transcripts of nine interviews were submitted to a coding process consisting of the identification of words, sentences or paragraphs expressing common ideas. These ideas were classified in codes, each code representing a specific description, function or action (e.g. self-perception, personal organization, formal/informal meditation practice). Progressively, a framework of thematic ideas was extracted from the transcripts, allowing the interviews to be systematically organized and their content analysed in depth. Results Five themes emerged from the descriptions of practices of mindfulness during the postpartum period: perception of the present moment, breathing, acceptance, self-compassion and the perception of mindfulness as a shelter. Conclusion Mindfulness practices during the postpartum period may contribute to a mother’s psychological wellbeing. The perception of mindfulness as a shelter had not previously been reported. Future research could address whether this role is specific to the postpartum period.

BACKGROUND: The New Forest Parenting Programme (NFPP) is a home-delivered, evidence-based parenting programme to target symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschool children. It has been adapted for use with 'hard-to-reach' or 'difficult-to-treat' children. This trial will compare the adapted-NFPP with a generic parenting group-based programme, Incredible Years (IY), which has been recommended for children with preschool-type ADHD symptoms.METHODS/DESIGN: This multicentre randomized controlled trial comprises three arms: adapted-NFPP, IY and treatment as usual (TAU). A sample of 329 parents of preschool-aged children with a research diagnosis of ADHD enriched for hard-to-reach and potentially treatment-resistant children will be allocated to the arms in the ratio 3:3:1. Participants in the adapted-NFPP and IY arms receive an induction visit followed by 12 weekly parenting sessions of 1½ hours (adapted-NFPP) or 2½ hours (IY) over 2.5 years. Adapted-NFPP will be delivered as a one-to-one home-based intervention; IY, as a group-based intervention. TAU participants are offered a parenting programme at the end of the study. The primary objective is to test whether the adapted-NFPP produces beneficial effects in terms of core ADHD symptoms. Secondary objectives include examination of the treatment impact on secondary outcomes, a study of cost-effectiveness and examination of the mediating role of treatment-induced changes in parenting behaviour and neuropsychological function. The primary outcome is change in ADHD symptoms, as measured by the parent-completed version of the SNAP-IV questionnaire, adjusted for pretreatment SNAP-IV score. Secondary outcome measures are: a validated index of behaviour during child's solo play; teacher-reported SNAP-IV (ADHD scale); teacher and parent SNAP-IV (ODD) Scale; Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory - Oppositional Defiant Disorder scale; Revised Client Service Receipt Inventory - Health Economics Costs measure and EuroQol (EQ5D) health-related quality-of-life measure. Follow-up measures will be collected 6 months after treatment for participants allocated to adapted-NFPP and IY.DISCUSSION: This trial will provide evidence as to whether the adapted-NFPP is more effective and cost-effective than the recommended treatment and TAU. It will also provide information about mediating factors (improved parenting and neuropsychological function) and moderating factors (parent and child genetic factors) in any increased benefit.TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN39288126.