Class
Article
College
College of Science
Department
Mathematics and Statistics Department
Faculty Mentor
Vonda Jump Norman
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Parenting challenges and overall stress have increased in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic (Adams et al., 2020). The Better Together program at The Family Place Utah was developed to provide children with positive childhood experiences (PCEs), improve family functioning, and increase nurturing and attachment between parents and their children. We explore the positive impact Better Together has on parent stress.A sample of 219 caregivers with children aged 0 to 18 years participated in a randomized experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of the Better Together program. Families were randomly assigned to a treatment or waitlist group. Treatment participants started the program immediately, while waitlist participants were required to wait 12 weeks before receiving the treatment. Each family completed an online survey at several time points before and after completing the Better Together program. As expected, differences in waitlist and treatment scores prior to receiving treatment were not statistically significant. We noted a statistically significant reduction in symptoms of distress among parents after completing the Better Together program, and such improvements were sustained through the 12-month post-treatment timepoint. Parents’ feelings of stress overload also decreased at all time points. High parenting stress and overall distress of an adult can be risk factors for negative outcomes, including potential child abuse and neglect. The Better Together program appears to have positively impacted the parents in the program through decreased stress and stress overload. It is likely that the mechanism of change is through increasing positive interactions between parents and their children, which is an avenue of investigation that we continue to pursue.
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-11-2023 12:30 PM
End Date
4-11-2023 1:30 PM
Included in
The Impact of The Family Place Utah's Better Together Program on Parent/Caregiver Distress
Logan, UT
Parenting challenges and overall stress have increased in recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic (Adams et al., 2020). The Better Together program at The Family Place Utah was developed to provide children with positive childhood experiences (PCEs), improve family functioning, and increase nurturing and attachment between parents and their children. We explore the positive impact Better Together has on parent stress.A sample of 219 caregivers with children aged 0 to 18 years participated in a randomized experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of the Better Together program. Families were randomly assigned to a treatment or waitlist group. Treatment participants started the program immediately, while waitlist participants were required to wait 12 weeks before receiving the treatment. Each family completed an online survey at several time points before and after completing the Better Together program. As expected, differences in waitlist and treatment scores prior to receiving treatment were not statistically significant. We noted a statistically significant reduction in symptoms of distress among parents after completing the Better Together program, and such improvements were sustained through the 12-month post-treatment timepoint. Parents’ feelings of stress overload also decreased at all time points. High parenting stress and overall distress of an adult can be risk factors for negative outcomes, including potential child abuse and neglect. The Better Together program appears to have positively impacted the parents in the program through decreased stress and stress overload. It is likely that the mechanism of change is through increasing positive interactions between parents and their children, which is an avenue of investigation that we continue to pursue.