Publication year
2009
Citation Title
Pilot study to gauge acceptability of a mindfulness-based, family-focused preventive intervention.
Journal Name
The Journal of Primary Prevention
Journal Volume
30
Issue Number
5
Page Numbers
605-618
DOI
10.1007/s10935-009-0185-9
Summary
Researchers adapted the Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14 (SFP) to include concepts and activities specific to mindfulness and mindful parenting (e.g., listening with full attention, emotional awareness of self and child). Self-reported and focus group data were utilized to asses acceptability and effects of this adapted program. This intervention was rated as acceptable and positively influenced family functioning and parents' well-being.
Key Findings
Parents generally liked the mindfulness components and found them to be useful, although guided compassion/meditation practice was not as well-liked.
Parents who participated in a focus group after the intervention reported greater emotion regulation and an improved ability to cope with family-related stress because of the intervention.
Participant experiences also pointed to areas of improvement regarding the intervention, such as condensing some activities and refining the mindfulness practice instructions to include more frequent, shorter periods of compassion/meditation practice that were silent (versus including verbal guidance).
Implications for Military Professionals
Collaborate with parenting programs utilizing mindfulness techniques or approaches regarding how to incorporate or adapt these interventions for military families
Attend trainings about mindfulness parenting interventions in order to offer these interventions to military parents
Implications for Program Leaders
Consider incorporating mindfulness and mindful parenting education and activities in current parenting programs to help improve parent emotional regulation and coping strategies
Include a brief meditative or contemplative silent time at the beginning of their session to help attendees be more focused and attentive
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support evidence-based behavioral intervention programs that support military families and adolescents and improve outcomes
Continue to support research efforts that evaluate the effectivness of parenting programs, including mindfulness-based programs
Methods
Parents with children in the sixth grade participated in this pilot study. Surveys, focus groups, and video-taped observations were used to collect data in this mixed-methods study.
This study focused on civilian families who were recruited through local school districts via letters sent home to parents.
Surveys, focus groups, and video-taped observations were used to collect data in this mixed-methods study.
Participants
This study sample included nine parents from five families (four families were dual-parent, one was a single mother).
Most of the parents were women (five mothers).
No other demographic information was presented.
Limitations
Participants may have differed from non-participants in a way that was not measured, but affected the outcomes. For example, those who participated may be more familiar with mindfulness practices than those who did not participate.
The small sample size severely limits confidence that the patterns of findings will be true for other parents who participate in the intervention.
Given that the sample was comprised of civilians, it is not known how these patterns would apply to parents in the military.
Avenues for Future Research
Replicate the current study with a larger, more diverse sample
Incorporate a control group, a pre- and post-design, as well as longitudinal study designs that include measures of development over time
Incorporate responses from children, parents, or caregivers to get a more comprehensive understanding of this intervention
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to conduct a test of acceptability of a new model for family-focused drug prevention programs for families of early adolescents. An existing evidence-based behavioral intervention, the Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14 (SFP), was adapted to include concepts and activities related to mindfulness and mindful parenting (an extension of mindfulness to the interpersonal domain of parent-child relationships). The foundation for this innovative intervention approach stems from research on the effects of mind-body treatments involving mindfulness meditation and the function of stress and coping in relation to parenting and parent well-being. One group of families participated in a seven-week pilot of this mindfulness-enhanced version of SFP. Results of a mixed-method implementation evaluation suggest that the new intervention activities were generally feasible to deliver, acceptable to participants, and perceived to yield positive benefits for family functioning and parent psychological well-being. The next phase of this research will involve curriculum refinement based upon results of this initial study, and a larger pilot efficacy trial will be conducted.
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