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Mother and Child

Projects

Ongoing Research Projects/Areas of Interest: 

Randomized Control Trial of a Behavioral App

Online, self-directed approaches to delivering evidence-based interventions have the potential to revolutionize mental health service access and delivery across multiple mental health disorders. Our research team has partnered with a web-based, mobile application that aims to help children stay motivated and on task while providing guidance and support for caregivers. We developed a study that aims to learn more about how and if daily use of this app for caregivers of children with behavioral difficulties improves child behavioral problems, impairment, and parent mental health.

Behavioral App Trial

Improving Access and Outcomes for Children with ADHD in Developmental Behavioral Pediatric Care Project

This study is a multi-site study (New York University Department of Applied Psychology/School of Medicine and Cincinnati Childrens’ Medical Center) with the aim to develop a treatment algorithm for initial combination of medication and behavioral parenting interventions via telehealth delivery model. The open clinical trial will focus on feasibility, acceptability and preliminary outcomes of this model for children newly diagnosed with ADHD. 

 

Peer Professionals to Increase Capacity to Treat ADHD 

The goal of this project is to further refine and evaluate a potentially highly sustainable and scalable service delivery model that leverages peer support organizations to increase mental health service access and utilization for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from socioeconomically disadvantaged, urban communities.  A goal is to gain a better understanding of how best to position the Family Peer Advocate (FPA) ADHD Model within the broader service delivery system for children with ADHD who live in socioeconomically disadvantaged, urban communities. This study aims to learn if  Behavioral Parent Training delivered by FPAs is effective in helping improve the behavioral functioning of children between the ages of 5-12 who have symptoms of ADHD and if the program is effective in helping improve parenting stress, parenting behavior, and child behavior.

 

Mindful Parenting and Parent Training Study

This treatment research study is evaluating whether a weekly mindful parenting group and individual behavioral parent training program will improve parent-child relationship, family functioning, and symptoms of disruptive behavioral disorders (such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder). The gol os this study is to determine if combining thee approaches results in better outcomes than just the mindful parenting approach alone.

 

Initial and Ongoing Parental Engagement Study

The disparities in children’s mental health services have been well established in the literature; families of racially/ethnically minoritized backgrounds are especially vulnerable to using services at lower rates and prematurely terminating from treatment when compared to their White counterparts. However, stigma, perceived barriers (e.g., the expectations of treatment), and environmental barriers (e.g., limited transportation) are all aspects prevalent in racially/ethnically minoritized communities that prevent families from both accessing mental health services as well as remaining in treatment. 

What factors most influence racial/ethnic minoritized families’ decision-making processes and engagement behaviors related to utilizing children’s mental health services? Does the most influential factor on engagement behaviors vary by race/ethnic minority? Can the identified facilitators for initial and continued engagement for families outweigh the identified barriers? 

This study will examine the underlying motivations driving families of racially/ethnically minoritized background to seek and engage with children’s mental health services. We hope that this study will yield informative answers that will improve both initial and ongoing parental engagement in children’s mental health services.