Parental engagement and barriers to participation in a community-based preventive intervention.

Full Abstract

This study examined parent characteristics and barriers to participation in a community-based preventive intervention with a sample of 201 parents from low-income and predominantly ethnic minority backgrounds. Person-centered analyses revealed five subgroups of parents who demonstrated variability in their parent characteristics, which included psychological resources and level of parental involvement in education. Group membership was associated with differences in school involvement and use of the psychoeducational intervention at home, after accounting for the number of barriers to engagement. For the intervention attendance variable, greater number of barriers was associated with decreased attendance only for parents in the resilient subgroup and the psychologically distressed subgroup. Attendance remained constant across levels of barriers for the other three subgroups of parents. The results of the study inform theory and practice regarding how to tailor preventive interventions to accommodate subgroups of parents within populations that experience barriers to accessing mental health services.

Author information

Author/s: Mendez, Julia L (JL); Carpenter, Johanna L (JL); LaForett, Doré R (DR); Cohen, Jeremy S (JS);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170, USA. jlmendez(-atsign-)uncg.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: American journal of community psychology (Am J Community Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Sep; vol 44 (issue 1-2) : pp 1-14

Dates: Created 2009/07/24; Completed 2009/11/04;

PMID: 19533328, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/4/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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