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Incredible Years BASIC Programme. Muirhevnamor Springboard Initiative Outcomes and Results Dr. Sean McDonnell and Lorraine Kennedy Archways. The Incredible Years. Series of programmes based on behavioural/social learning theory Targets parents, teachers and children
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Incredible Years BASIC Programme Muirhevnamor Springboard Initiative Outcomes and Results Dr. Sean McDonnell and Lorraine Kennedy Archways
The Incredible Years • Series of programmes based on behavioural/social learning theory • Targets parents, teachers and children • Promotes emotional and social competence • Used to prevent, reduce, and treat aggression and emotional problems in young children 0 to 12 years old. • Tested in numerous randomised controlled trials
BASIC Parent Programme • Focuses on children between three and six years of age • Run over 14 weeks • Weekly sessions • Focus on strengthening parent competencies • Group discussion, vignettes and homework activities • Components include praise, play and limit setting • Kelleher and McGilloway(2006) positive changes in children’s behaviour and in parent’s behaviour
Present Study • Aim: To evaluate the Incredible Years BASIC Programme as implemented by Alice and Tracy of the Muirhevnamor Springboard Initiative
Study Design • Questionnaires administered to parents both pre and post programme • Two measures used • Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) • Parent Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) • SDQ also administered to class teachers both pre and post
Participants • Sixteen parents started the programme • Twelve completed the programme • Eleven completed the pre and post measures • Both single and two parent families represented • Eight parents were Irish, three foreign nationals • Ten out of eleven were women • Children aged between three and nine
Parent’s SDQ Scores • Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire • Administered to both parents and teachers • Parents: • All scales improved from pre to post • Biggest drop in the conduct related sub scale • Total difficulties scores moved from being in the ‘abnormal’ range to within the ‘normal’ range
Teachers’ SDQ scores • All but one of the scales showed an improvement • Bigger increases in pro social behaviour than in the parent’s sample • On peer problems scale there was a slight rise (o.54) • Total difficulties fell from on the cusp of the ‘borderline’ category to firmly within ‘normal’ range
Qualitative Data SDQ • Comments left by teachers very positive • ‘The child is sitting quietly and completing work satisfactorily. Previously it was very hard to keep her on task and focused.’ • ‘There are no longer issues arising over sharing toys, crayons, etc.’ • ‘There seems to be a reduction in immature behaviour like shouting out and making silly noises over the past few weeks’
Parent Stress Index Scores • Reduction in all sub scales on this measure • Total stress scores fell by an average of 37 points • Also a significant drop in difficult child sub scale (decrease of 14.18) • Prior to programme six parents in the clinical range for stress • Two in the borderline range • Post programme all within normal ranges
Interviews With Parents • Semi structured interviews • Experiences of the programme • Recommendations • Positives and Negatives • Thematic analysis used to identify meaningful themes within the data
Themes • Three main themes: Personal Benefits • Lessening feelings of isolation • Changes in Expectations Changes in Behaviour • Life before the programme • Changes in child’s behaviour • Changes in parent’s behaviour Running the Course • Room and time • Facilitators • Possible Changes/Improvements
Personal Benefits Feelings of Isolation ‘I went to that course thinking I was the worst mother on the planet because ‘child’s name ‘ wouldn’t do anything and speaking and having conversations with the other girls I realised that every parent has a specific issue’ ‘Speaking to each other helped us work out our issues...getting ideas from other parents was really valuable’ ‘I actually made a lot of friends out of it...through the buddy system we exchanged numbers and I actually meet a couple of the people in the park now with the kids’
Personal Benefits Changes in Expectations ‘Being comfortable being a parent...that me personally I’m not a bad parent, because nobody’s perfect...being comfortable knowing that is a hell of a relief’ ‘I expected him to automatically be this perfect child and I realised that nobody is perfect...in a sense of expecting too much of him’
Changes in Behaviour Life before the Programme ‘She’s demanding, she’s crying...when I don’t give her things she starts crying and standing, sitting on the floor crying...I felt bad’ ‘You were that stressed that when you were stressed everybody was stressed, it wasn’t good for the rest of them’ ‘if there’s something wrong they all blame him’
Changes in Behaviour Child’s Behaviour After the Programme ‘Mornings so less stressful...we’re out in time...she’s going out a lot happier...she skips on in in the morning...everybody’s a lot happier’ ‘The rules in my house any time I’m out shopping I tell them if you are being good you get a stamp...she sticks to the rules...whenever she goes to cry I say you will lose a stamp and she stops’
Changes in Behaviour Changes in Parent’s Behaviour ‘I kinda had a epiphany...I realised that it was me who had to change how I thought about rearing a child’ ‘It made me take a step back and definitely look at him as a child you know and put myself in his shoes and take it from his point of view’ ‘Definitely relieved, it was a huge relief I can handle this if I just put the work into this I can handle it’
Running the Course • Room and Time: no changes to be made to location or time ‘It was good, take the child to school and then on down into it and back before out before they get out again’ • Facilitators Very positive feedback Non judgemental, approachable and supportive ‘I mean Nothing shocked them...they were very open minded...when we cried (name of facilitator) cried’
Running the Course • Possible Changes/Improvements to the Course 1. Vignettes were not always positively received 2. Include the partners in the programme ‘It was a big challenge for me because (partner’s name) on occasion got it hard to deal with the way I was parenting (child’s name) because I had stepped back from being the disciplinarian, there was a clash of parenting then’ 3. Length of the programme
Innovative Approach • Use of interpreters • Promotes inclusion and learning for all in the community • Positive results seen by these parents also • Interpreters are a viable option for future programmes
Summary • Significant drops in all parental measures • Drops in teacher’s measures • Very positive comments left by teachers post programme • Parental positive effects reinforced through qualitative data • Positive changes seen in both parent and child behaviours • Increased levels of support for mothers an extra bonus
For more information on this study please contact: Lorraine Kennedy Archways Unit 2B Nangor Rd Business Park Nangor Rd Clondalkin Dublin 12 Tel : 01-4568734 Fax : 01-4568870 email : lkennedy@archways.ie
