Empowering Parents with Technology-Assisted Programs to Prevent Anxiety Problems in Children
Technology-assisted parenting programs and interventions have the added benefit of accessibility for parents who, for reasons of cost, stigma, distance or other socio-economic barriers, may not otherwise be able to access such parenting resources. For families experiencing adversity, these accessibility barriers can be especially prevalent.
This PhD project will evaluate how acceptable and useful technology-assisted programs are in empowering parents of children experiencing adversity, to prevent emotional and behavioural problems.
The aims of this project are to:
- a) Review the current evidence on technology-assisted parenting interventions designed to prevent and respond to childhood adversity and associated depression and anxiety, to identify strategies that are effective in engaging and supporting parents
- b) Conduct stakeholder consultations with families, practitioners, and policy makers to understand from various stakeholder perspectives in what ways these interventions could be appropriately adapted and delivered in real-world local settings.
- c) Adapt an existing evidence-based online program based on these findings for parents of children living with adversity
- d) Conduct a pilot evaluation of the adapted program via the Centre's community hubs, to investigate the program’s acceptability and effectiveness in improving the target parenting factors, as well as child depression and anxiety symptoms, and the long-term feasibility of such a program.
This project will commence in March 2020 at Monash University under the supervision of A/Prof Marie Yap.
PhD Candidate: Grace Aldridge