MENTAL HEALTH PREVENTION PROJECT: HELPING-U-GROW (HUGS)

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The proposed K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award is a five year plan to develop the candidate into an independent pediatric prevention intervention researcher with a focus on prevention f behavior disorders, delinquency, and substance abuse in high-risk inner city preschool and school-aged children. The proposal provides the candidate with training and experience through a combination of: (1) formal course work; (2) participation in on-going field research sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health-funded P30 MH38725: Epidemiologic Center for Early Risk Behaviors Grant (Prevention Center) and secondary analysis of a longitudinal multi-site Head Start data set at the Civitan International Research Center with mentor/consultant Dr. Sharon Ramey; (3) implementation of a randomized prevention intervention research study in an Early Head Start setting; and (4) attendance and presentations at pertinent seminars/conferences. The objectives of the K23 award are to: (1) increase epidemiologic and biostatistical knowledge as it relates to long-term clinical prevention intervention clinical trials; (2) improve skills in implementation of community-based prevention clinical trials; and (3) develop skills to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. The overarching goal of this proposal is to prepare the candidate to submit a successful NIMH R01 community-based prevention grant. Supported by the co-mentorship of Drs. Nicholas lalongo, C. Hendricks Brown, and Philip Leaf, the candidate will implement an Early Head Start mental health prevention study entitled: Helping-U-Grow (HUGS). Using a stratified randomized design, the study will examine the following hypothesis: families who receive the HUG'S intervention, consisting of a mental health-based parenting curriculum, will demonstrate improved parent-child interaction and reduced parental stress. In addition to providing new information about the effectiveness of a mental health-based parenting curriculum in an Early Head Start setting, the study will provide valuable information about the interactions between parental stress, mental health, and parent- child interaction. Comparisons will be made between children who received HUG'S intervention versus standard Early Head Start curriculum. Videotaped assessments of the parent-child interaction will be conducted. Pre- and post intervention evaluations will include child and parent measures.