First-Time Parent Interactive Parenting Intervention

描述（由申请人提供）：生活在贫困中的婴儿的父母在一系列有害结果的风险显着增加，包括儿童行为问题的发展，忽视和虐待儿童，儿童学习问题和父母滥用药物。研究发现，早期干预，以改善父母的做法是有效的，以改善这些结果。然而，在有效提供心理健康服务方面存在重大障碍，特别是在农村地区。由于缺乏训练有素的专业人员，农村家庭对心理健康服务的需求达到了危机的程度。此外，互联网使用的迅速增加为人们交流和分享想法创造了新的途径。这两个趋势有助于推动对心理健康服务和在线支持的需求。互联网程序可以是互动的，并提供来自同行和专业人士的社会支持。通过使用多媒体技术和软件的最新进展以及通过互联网的计算机联网的兴起，现在有机会为农村地区提供这种结果监测和远程联系。这项探索性研究项目将为3.5至7个月（入组时）婴儿的父母提供计算机、“眼球”计算机摄像头、互联网连接和6个月的技术培训/支持，以评估数字翻译。该系统将使家长教练能够根据客观数据做出治疗决定，并提供远程研究站点的结果评估。使用实验设计，我们将评估互动互联网家长培训干预的影响相比，日常护理（控制）。在从俄勒冈州和堪萨斯农村的早期开端计划招募后，40个家庭将被随机分配到干预或计算机控制条件下。家长教练将每周打电话和发电子邮件，以帮助家长使用电脑和问题/关注的程序。育儿实践将作为主要成果。建议的设计将提供重要的实用信息的可行性和有效性的互联网亲职干预影响亲职行为。相关性：这种创新的互动式互联网家长教育干预措施将有助于促进婴儿的社会情感发展和沟通技能，以减少低收入家庭儿童患精神病的机会，并提高他们的入学准备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Parents of infants living in poverty are at significantly elevated risk of a host of detrimental outcomes, including the development of child behavior problems, neglect and abuse of children, child learning problems and parental substance abuse. Research has found that early interventions to improve parenting practices were effective to ameliorate these outcomes. Yet, there exist major obstacles to the effective delivery of mental health services, particularly in rural areas. The need of rural families for mental health services is reaching crisis proportions due to the dearth of trained professionals. In addition, the meteoric rise of Internet use has created a new avenue for people to communicate and share ideas. These two trends are helping fuel the demand for mental health services and on-line support. Internet programs can be interactive and provide social support from peers and professionals. Through the use of recent advances in multimedia technology and software as well as the rise of computer networking via the Internet, there now exists an opportunity to provide such monitoring of outcomes and remote contact for rural locations This R34 proposal aims to adapt and pilot test an existing empirically proven parenting program, for delivery via the Internet, enhanced with weekly professional contact. This exploratory research project will provide parents of infants 3.5 to 7 months (at enrollment) with a computer, "eyeball" computer camera, Internet connection, and technical training/support for 6 months to evaluate the digital translation. This system would enable Parent Coaches to make treatment decisions with objective data, as well as provide outcomes assessment from remote research sites. Using an experimental design we will evaluate the impact of the interactive Internet parent training intervention as compared to usual-care (control). After recruiting from Early Head Start program in rural Oregon and Kansas, 40 families will be randomized to either the intervention or computer-control conditions. Parent coaches will make weekly, phone calls and email to assist parents with the use of the computer and questions/concerns about the program. Parenting practices will serve as the primary outcome. The proposed design will provide important practical information about the feasibility and effectiveness of an Internet parenting intervention in effecting parenting behavior. Relevance: This innovative interactive Internet-based parent education intervention will help serve to promote the social-emotional development and communication skills of infants to decrease the chances of psychopathology and increase school readiness of children from low-income families.