Parent Mentor Research Articles

An evaluation of the effectiveness of a parent-to-parent program in changing attitudes and increasing parental engagement in the juvenile dependency system

Abstract Parent mentor programs, which have helped parents with disabled children, are emerging in the field of child welfare as a means of engaging parents in the juvenile dependency process. Two current studies assessed a parent-to-parent program implemented in King County, Washington. Study 1 assessed a change in attitudes that occurred following participation in the program. Study 2 assessed differences in outcomes between participants in the program and parents who were invited, but did not attend the program. Results from study 1 suggest that there was a significant, positive change in attitudes following program participation—parents increased trust in child protection services, better understood the role of the stakeholders, increased their awareness of case issues, and increased belief that they had personal control over the case outcomes. A few gender differences were noted in attitude change; no race differences emerged. Findings from study 2 suggest that program participants were more engaged in the juvenile dependency court process, as evidenced by increased presence at court hearings, increased compliance with court ordered case plans, and increased visitation. Overall, the program appears to be effective in shaping parents' attitudes and improving parents' engagement in the juvenile dependency court process.

Nutrition education and cooking classes with teen and adolescent mothers

A pilot study evaluated the effect of nutrition education and cooking classes on nutrition knowledge, cooking knowledge, self‐efficacy towards cooking and healthy eating, and dietary habits of young mothers enrolled in life‐skill classes at the YWCA of Greensboro. This feasibility study is a two condition (group 1, and group 2) repeated measures (pretest, posttest, and follow‐up) design. The project used a convenience sample of 15 young mothers enrolled in the Teen Parent Mentor Program and Healthy Moms Healthy Babies program at the YWCA. Seven nutrition education and cooking classes were conducted at the YWCA facility as part of their programming. Class topics included information on kitchen safety/ sanitation, how to read a food label, fats, how to shop on a budget, portion control, meal planning, and feeding your child. Mothers helped prepare weekly recipes that included fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Women received all educational handouts and recipes. Sixty‐four percent of the participants found the class topics in general to be very helpful, while 73% found the cooking activities to be very helpful. Also, 67% of them affirmed that the handouts were very helpful. Findings of this study will be used to continue develop culturally relevant nutrition interventions to improve the nutrition knowledge, eating habits, and cooking skills of young mothers in community‐based environments

Parental Supports for Parents With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The concept of supports is crucial in the lives of all people, especially for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In fact, the introduction of the idea of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as needing supports was a crucial step for the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), because this concept is different from the medical model of disability, which is focused on individuals’ deficiencies. In the 11th edition of the AAIDD manual, Schalock et al. (2010) defined supports as ‘‘resources and strategies that aim to promote the development, education, interests, and personal well-being of a person and that enhance individual functioning’’ (p. 105). Supports are seen as important for these individuals participating in a variety of life domains, including social roles, which are defined as ‘‘valid activities considered normative for a specific age group’’ (Shalock et al., 2010, p. 16). Supports for one important social role, however, that is normative for many working-age adults, the social role of parenting, has received little attention in the field. There are currently few formal sources of support to assist parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the role of parenting, and many parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities have to rely on informal supports and are at high risk for losing their children. Over the past several decades, there have been several calls for attention to the need for parental supports, notably by Booth and Booth (1996) from Great Britain and Llewellyn and McConnell (2002) from Australia, and a few innovative programs striving to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in parenting (Feldman, 2010; Feldman, Ducharme, & Case, 1999; Garbus & Kennedy, 1999; Llewellyn, McConnell, Russo, Mayes, & Honey, 2002). Parents with disabilities have indicated that supports help them to better parent their children (McGaw, Ball, & Clark, 2002; Tarleton & Ward, 2007). However, programs serving parents with disabilities are scarce, and of these few, many are focused on increasing individual parenting ability, with less emphasis on increasing formal and informal supports. The notion of parental supports for parents with disabilities in the United States has become more prominent only recently, and a number of new state laws are now mandating courts to look at parental supports for parents with disabilities who are involved in the child welfare system. The child welfare system historically has not recognized the concept of supports for parents with disabilities or the notion of interdependent parenting, although in the past decade, there are a few small, but dramatic changes within the child welfare system signaling that the concept of parental supports may be on the rise. In the present article we discuss the rise of the concept of parental supports within child welfare legislation, define parental supports for parents with disabilities, and discuss the need for a normalization of the concept of parental supports in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Parent Mentor Perspectives on Providing Social Support to Empower Parents

To describe the experience of parent mentors providing a social support intervention to parents of children < 13 years old newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Qualitative descriptive interviews were conducted with 6 parent mentors (all mothers) who provided social support to 34 mothers and 19 fathers of children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus over a 12-month period. The mentors were trained to provide informational, affirmational, and emotional social support through home visits, phone calls, and/or e-mail. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify themes guided by the Ireys social support framework. The parent mentors described support activities that could be categorized into the 3 types of support defined in the Ireys framework. The parent mentors provided informational support, such as tips for travel, school, parties and family get-togethers, camp resources, and how to advocate for the child. Affirmational support was provided by sharing stories and validating parents' feelings and experiences. Emotional support was provided by "being there" for the parents. No instances were described where parent mentors were pushed to give advice on medical management issues but were more so used for advice on growth and development, sleep, and healthy eating suggestions. Parent mentors also reported being empowered by the role by helping others. Careful selection of parent mentors is a strategy for providing social support to parents of children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus, especially in day-to-day management areas that the health care professionals have not experienced.

Social Support to Empower Parents (STEP)

The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of a social support intervention with parents of children <13 years old newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). For this randomized, controlled clinical trial, 10 parent mentors of children diagnosed with T1DM >or=1 year and 60 parent participants were recruited from 2 pediatric diabetes centers. Mentors were trained to provide social support (home visits and phone calls) for 12 months to families in the experimental arm (32 mothers). Control group parents (28 mothers) received the phone number of an experienced parent (not trained to give social support) to call as needed. Findings Mothers in the experimental and control arms differed at baseline only in birth order of the child with T1DM. The 2 groups did not differ significantly at 3, 6, or 12 months in parent concern, confidence, worry, impact on the family, or perceived social support. Mothers in the experimental arm identified the parent mentor as someone they would seek for advice and issues regarding growth and development, sleep, eating habits, and identification of community agencies. Parent mentors consistently referred mothers to health care providers for advice on medications and treatments but helped them incorporate this advice into day-to-day management. Mothers in the experimental arm valued the mentors' help in adjusting to the diagnosis, but this value was not measured by the study instruments. Focus group research is under way to clarify the concept of parent mentor social support and to develop a social support measurement tool.

Parent Mentoring and Child Anticipatory Guidance with Latino and African American Families

Poor health and developmental outcomes for children are linked to scarcity of economic resources, various barriers in the delivery of health services, and inadequate parenting. To mitigate such adverse effects and address the needs of 50 high-risk, low-income Latino and African American families receiving well-baby care at an urban primary care health center, a collaborative team from the social work, nursing, and education fields piloted a preventive two-year parent mentoring project. The intervention was theoretically anchored in the transactional model of child development. The mentoring practices used an activity-based approach for strengthening child anticipatory guidance and meeting family needs. Thirty-five intervention families completed the project. Compared with a matched community sample, intervention families showed positive statistically significant changes in parent and child outcomes. The discussion addresses the practical benefits of the intervention, limitations of the evaluation design, and implications for collaborative multidisciplinary practice.

Mentor functions in NCAA women's soccer coaching dyads

PurposeTeam performance in sport is not limited to the players, but extends to the coaching staff and their relationships. This study aims to identify mentoring functions reported by NCAA Division I assistant women's soccer coaches within a head coach‐assistant coach dyad and examine gender impact on these functions.Design/methodology/approachThe Mentor Role Instrument questionnaire, completed by 39.7 percent of applicable assistant coaches, determined the mentor functions present. Means for the 11 mentor functions were ranked and compared via ANOVA.FindingsPost hoc testing showed the parent mentor function at the lowest level with the social function second lowest. The mentor functions of acceptance, friendship, sponsor, and challenging assignments ranked as the statistically highest group of factors. Assistant coach gender significantly impacted the mentor function of social, with male assistant coaches higher than females. Gender of the head coach significantly impacted the mentor function of parent with assistant coaches having male head coaches reporting greater parent functions. Gender also impacted the social mentor function in the head coach/ assistant coach dyad with male‐male dyads significantly greater than the male‐female dyads.Research limitations/implicationsThe current research is limited by its narrow scope. Future research should consider mentor effects on job satisfaction and occupational turnover intent, expansion to other levels of women's soccer, and expansion into men's sports for further analysis of mentoring in coaching.Originality/valueAs the first study to document mentor functions in coaching these results provide baseline data to guide future research and support the development of mentoring programs in coaching.

Building Practice Evidence for Parent Mentoring Home Visiting in Early Childhood

Objective: A multidisciplinary preventive parent mentoring intervention was applied through home visiting with high-risk families receiving well-baby health care. Two implementations were examined for effectiveness. Method: The first implementation employed a quasiexperimental nonequivalent group design, whereas the second used a randomized experiment. A multivariate repeated-measures design compared intervention and control families from both implementations on parenting outcomes. Logistic regressions examined children’s outcomes. Results: Compared to controls, intervention families significantly improved their family resources, parenting knowledge, practices, and maternal resilience. Intervention status significantly predicted children’s immunization and early language. Conclusions: Parent mentoring anchored in multidisciplinary approach with empirically informed practices may be a desirable intervention addressing the multifaceted developmental needs of very young children. Limitations and implications for practice are addressed.

Parent-to-Parent Mentoring: Oxfordshire's Pioneering Buddy Scheme for Adopters

Parent mentoring schemes have been found to be successful in providing peer support for families with young children in times of need. Parent mentors can often be a more acceptable form of help to fellow parents than professionals. In response to a request from local adoptive parents and following the establishment of a parenting skills training programme for all its adopters, Oxfordshire County Council, in partnership with Parentline Plus, have pioneered a parent mentoring scheme that has been tailor-made for adopters and uses trained adoptive parents as ‘buddies’ to newer adopters. Liz Gilkes and Louise Capstick report on how the scheme was set up and run as a partnership between an adoption agency and a local service provider. The buddy scheme was evaluated by means of a questionnaire and was found to be effective in providing the type of support requested by new adopters. It has now become an established part of the county's adoption support services and is highly valued by those who use it.

Community-Based After-School Inclusive Programs for Low-Income Minority Youth and Their Families: the Disability Specialist Approach

Intervention for helping community based after-school programs become more responsive to youth with disabilities and their families is presented in this manuscript. The Disability Specialist intervention utilized a variety of approaches, including: a) increasing awareness of disabilities and services by providing learning opportunity sessions for families and staff, and outreach activities to youth through interactive theater; b) developing in house “disability specialists” to offer ongoing leadership and technical expertise for after-school programs and their community centers; c) developing a network of technical consultants in order to connect families and after-school programs to specialized community resources; d) providing financial assistance to enable community center staff to allocate time to outreach activities; and e) providing families with support in educational advocacy efforts by partnering with a local parent mentoring program. The success of the project depended upon building partnerships with families, community centers, human service agencies, schools, and local funding sources.

Fathers??? Reflections on Parenting Young Children With Type 1 Diabetes

To describe fathers' experiences in parenting and managing the care of their young children with type 1 diabetes. This qualitative descriptive study used 16 open-ended, in-depth interviews with 14 purposively selected, involved, educated, stably employed fathers of 15 children younger than 10 years old. The fathers were asked to describe their perspective of the initial diagnosis, how they learned diabetes care, their day-to-day care and parenting experiences, and what strategies they used in the day-to-day management. Data were managed using NVivo software and analyzed using principles of naturalistic inquiry and qualitative content analysis. The overarching theme was "From sadness to action," with six categories emerging: (1) "shock and awe" (after diagnosis), (2) quick response to the diagnosis and learning diabetes care: "suck it up and do it," (3) "staying in the loop" (practicing the skills, tasks, and responsibilities of diabetes management), (4) "partnerships in care" (tag teaming or co-parenting), (5) active participation (being actively involved in their children's day-to-day care and benefiting from participating in this care), and (6) mantra for living with diabetes: child first, diabetes second. Nurses working with children with diabetes can use the results of this study to better understand the role of fathers in the care of these children. Fathers underscored the importance of practicing diabetes care-related tasks to improve their confidence when caring for children alone. Their practical and philosophical strategies for managing their children's chronic illness have recently been incorporated into a parent mentor intervention for children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Parent Mentoring: An Innovative Approach to Adoption Support

Adopters are taking increasingly traumatised children into their families. These children bring with them disorganised attachment patterns that helped them survive early familial maltreatment. Since they were highly adaptive in their formative family environment, children cling to these relational patterns ‘as if their lives depended on it’. As part of the Family Futures therapeutic team, Caroline Archer and Christine Gordon have established effective frameworks for collaborative working, based on trauma and developmental-attachment theories, and have developed the practitioner role of parent mentor. Taking behaviour as the child's ‘first language’, mentors help adopters to understand and translate youngsters' behavioural and thinking patterns in terms of their traumatic histories. Parents are then encouraged to increase their children's physical, psychological and social sensitivity by using developmentally appropriate re-parenting strategies, acknowledging the psychosocial ‘gaps’ in children's attachment histories that inhibit healthy neuro-developmental organisation. Gradually the neurobiology and ‘language of trauma’ can be over-written by the neurobiology and ‘language of love’.

A Therapeutic Model for Supporting Families of Children with a Chronic Illness or Disability.

A therapeutic model for supporting families of children with a chronic illness or disability is described. The model presupposes that the chronic illness and/or disability of a child constitutes a trauma for the entire family. This paper describes a therapeutic model currently in practice and links it back to psychological dynamics addressed through the clinical interventions and the principles that underlie the model of service. Service delivery comprises the interventions; counselling, psychological first aid, projects, peer groups, parent mentoring, social events and community education. The model is family centred, non-illness specific, preventative, non-linear and flexible. The interventions offered in the model aim to address the psychological dynamics of hope, empowerment, reconnection, coping/resilience and reframing.

The call to mentor

The article draws on theories of volunteer motivation, documentary evidence and interview data in an attempt to understand the impact of biographical and motivational factors on perceived success in mentoring relationships. The results presented are part of a wider exploration of the developmental needs of mentors, considering the voluntary nature of mentoring, the social character of action and analyses the incentives of 52 volunteers who were trained as mentors for lone parents between 1996 and 1998, as part of a government‐funded Lone Parent Mentoring Project. The article summarises the recruitment and selection processes used to encourage volunteers to apply for mentor training, and presents results collected from application forms which describe the variety of reasons given by applicants for their decision to apply. It then considers the values and beliefs which underpin these motivations.

A Multi-site Evaluation of Parent to Parent Programs for Parents of Children With Disabilities

This paper describes 2 approaches used to evaluate Parent to Parent mentoring programs in 5 states. Parents were assigned to either a treatment group or a waiting list comparison group. The treatment group participated in Parent to Parent for 2 months. Groups were compared on measures of coping, attitude, and progress on addressing problems. Analyses showed statistically significant positive gains for the parents in the treatment group. Changes on a measure of empowerment were not statistically significant. A qualitative study based on consumer satisfaction interviews with parents provided insight into what makes the Parent to Parent program work. The findings support the value of Parent to Parent self-help programs as one component of a family support system.