The purpose of this study is to explore empowerment in Parent‑Child Interaction therapy (PCIT). Research has shown that attachment issues and child maltreatment are serious social problems that may lead to risks of child abuse and children developing mental illnesses. Interventions, like PCIT have shown to decrease these risks by improving the parent‑child interactions by enhancing parent skill levels and by decreasing parent stress levels and child behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine whether enhancing parent skills and decreasing parent stress levels would therefore increase parent empowerment. This study utilized a quantitative method to examine potential growth in parent empowerment. The current study consisted of 20 cases in which parents completed PCIT and had pre- and post- Dyadic parent‑child interaction coding system (DPICS) and Parent Stress Index (PSI) scores. Results indicated that PCIT enhanced parent skills but did not decrease stress levels as first hypothesized. Therefore, enhanced skills and decreased stress levels were found to not be a sufficient measure of parent empowerment. The PCIT literature has shown that PCIT successfully enhances parent skills, which in turn has shown to decrease the risk of child abuse. It is recommended that individual environmental factors and life stressors be considered in addition to the parents participating in PCIT to better enhance parent empowerment.

New immigrants to Canada are identified as a vulnerable population in mental health and, as a result, organizations are signaling the need to enhance their mental health supports. The research uses focus groups and questions based on the messaging of a Canadian school mental health program to understand how new immigrant mothers interpret and develop key aspects of their mental health literacy and how they attain parent empowerment. A thematic assessment of the knowledge, interpretation, action and decision-making of the study participants (n=7), all recent immigrants to Canada and mothers of high school students, shows that new immigrant mothers are prepared to follow a path towards mental health literacy. At the same time, however, there are barriers that can block progression towards mental health literacy for this audience. These findings are supported by three umbrella themes: the first main theme “home as haven” espouses maternal roles in mental health maintenance such as protector and communicator, the second main theme “knowledge versus suspicions of mental health and mental illness” represents informed views and support of mental illness and myths and illusions of mental illness, and the third main theme, “additional barriers to mental health literacy” includes the hardships of immigration and fear of knowledge. The study concludes that new immigrant mothers appreciate the importance of fostering mental health understanding and discussion with their children at the same time that they encounter obstacles to the advancement of their mental health literacy. This study is relevant to the field of communication in that it demonstrates the experience of new immigrant mothers as a secondary audience in mental health programming. As the caregivers of their children, they are in position to enforce the messages and health maintenance behaviours of a school-based mental health program aimed at adolescents.

New immigrants to Canada are identified as a vulnerable population in mental health and, as a result, organizations are signaling the need to enhance their mental health supports. The research uses focus groups and questions based on the messaging of a Canadian school mental health program to understand how new immigrant mothers interpret and develop key aspects of their mental health literacy and how they attain parent empowerment. A thematic assessment of the knowledge, interpretation, action and decision-making of the study participants (n=7), all recent immigrants to Canada and mothers of high school students, shows that new immigrant mothers are prepared to follow a path towards mental health literacy. At the same time, however, there are barriers that can block progression towards mental health literacy for this audience. These findings are supported by three umbrella themes: the first main theme “home as haven” espouses maternal roles in mental health maintenance such as protector and communicator, the second main theme “knowledge versus suspicions of mental health and mental illness” represents informed views and support of mental illness and myths and illusions of mental illness, and the third main theme, “additional barriers to mental health literacy” includes the hardships of immigration and fear of knowledge. The study concludes that new immigrant mothers appreciate the importance of fostering mental health understanding and discussion with their children at the same time that they encounter obstacles to the advancement of their mental health literacy. This study is relevant to the field of communication in that it demonstrates the experience of new immigrant mothers as a secondary audience in mental health programming. As the caregivers of their children, they are in position to enforce the messages and health maintenance behaviours of a school-based mental health program aimed at adolescents.

In 2010, California passed the California Parent Empowerment Act allowing parents to become directly involved and take a stand against their children’s underperforming public schools. This thesis is an ethnographic case study of the motivation of Anaheim’s Hermosa Village Parents to trigger the transformation of their underperforming public school, Palm Lane Elementary, into a public issued charter school. It will be one of the first publications to capture the individualized stories of Anaheim Elementary School Parents, their motivations, experiences and trials in their fight against the Anaheim Elementary School District in order to obtain high-quality education for their children. This thesis paper will present the complexities of the conflict by discussing the following: a brief history of charter schools, the evolution and legality of the California Parent Empowerment Act, and the development of conflicting interests between Palm Lane Elementary Parents and the Anaheim Elementary School District. Lastly, it will expose the conflict’s current status and larger political implications.

Partners in Print, a family literacy program, was brought to the urban elementary school in this study to educate and empower kindergarten and first grade parents to promote literacy development at home. This research aimed to explore the impact of participation in this program after consistent participation by utilizing a one-group pre-test, post-test research design. The Parent Empowerment and Home Literacy Environment Survey, which included both structured and unstructured questions, was administered before and after participation in the program to elicit notions of parent empowerment and growth in the home literacy environment. Parent participants also completed a document review of program handouts to triangulate the data. The data suggested that parents feel more empowered after consistently participating in Partners in Print. There was also evidence that the home literacy environment was of higher quality after participation. This study validated the practice of implementing family literacy programs as a strategy for empowering parents and enriching the home literacy environments of children.

Studien handlar om hur professionella inom verksamheter som arbetar med föräldraskapsstöd upplever stödet och dess effekt, samt hur de anser att stödet kan utvecklas och göras mer lättillgänglig. Studien baseras på fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer med personer som arbetar eller har erfarenhet av arbete med föräldraskapsstöd. Det insamlade materialet analyserades med hjälp av en riktad innehållsanalys utifrån tre teman; Stödets betydelse ur ett professionsperspektiv, Viktiga faktorer för ett gott resultat och Eventuella hinder, utmaningar och arbete för ett mer lättillgängligt stöd. Studiens slutsatser tyder på att föräldraskapsstöd utöver att stärka föräldrar i sin föräldraförmåga, kan även bidra till att föräldrar får ett ökat självförtroende och en känsla av egenmakt. Föräldraskapsstöd bör ses som ett förebyggande arbete som minskar risken för negativa utfall och ett normbrytande beteende hos barn och unga. Utbudet på föräldraskapsstödsinsatser behöver anpassas för att möta de behov som finns och även göras mer jämlikt över hela landet. Arbetet kräver ett professionellt förhållningssätt, flexibilitet och bör grunda sig i empowerment. Föräldraskapsstöd behöver även marknadsföras ytterligare samt normaliseras för att göra det mer lättillgängligt för allmänheten.

The current project examines the parenting practices of African-American parents through a culturally relevant intervention framework and proposes a model of empowerment that can serve as a point of reference for counselors, educators and social workers, when engaging these parents about their parenting practices, school involvement and patterns of self-care. The present research is a pilot evaluation of a culturally specific parent empowerment intervention for parents of African-American children - The Black Lemonade Project (BL). This sample is comprised of parents and primary caregivers of school aged children in the Cleveland and Canton, Ohio Public School District who consented to participate in a two part Black Lemonade Empowerment Intervention. A total of 69 parents attended an 8 week (Phase I and Phase II) Black Lemonade Empowerment Intervention. Parents completed an Informed Consent to Participate, The Participant Questionnaire and the Parent Empowerment Inventory (PEI) and the Family Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire (FADL) at pre and post assessment points. During the Phase I conference, parents also completed the Parent Stress Index (PSI). The research questions asked about the perceived concerns, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that parents who volunteer to attend a culturally specific parenting program hold. Results indicated a discrepancy across parents concerns, beliefs and behaviors. Implications for future research are discussed. / Counseling Psychology

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