Abstract
Strength-based approaches to youth development have been tested in community settings and are related to improvements in social, health, and academic realms. However, little is known about similar approaches to enhance parent-teen communication (PTC) in pediatric primary care. The goal of this study was to test the feasibility and acceptability of an intervention to facilitate parent-teen communication about teen strengths. Intervention materials were developed based on a literature review, expert consultation, and feedback from stakeholders. The final intervention was a parent-directed booklet and a parent-teen discussion activity. At the well-adolescent visit (WAV), dyads received an orientation to the materials and were instructed to complete the discussion activity within 2 weeks of the WAV. Health Care Providers verbally endorsed the materials and instructed parents to read the booklet and complete the discussion activity with their teens. Acceptability was assessed at 2-week and 2-month follow-ups. Parent-adolescent dyads from an urban, pediatric primary care practice were enrolled with half assigned to the treatment group. Those in the treatment group (60 dyads) are the focus of this paper. Youth were 13–15 years old, 55% female, and 66% Black. Most participating parents (97%) were female. Fidelity was ≥ 88% for delivery of each of the intervention components. Fifty-four of the 60 parents in the intervention group completed the 2-week call. Of those 54 parents, 96% read the booklet and 62% found the booklet either extremely or very helpful. The majority of parents (67%) and teens (72%) reported that the discussion activity was excellent or very good. Analysis of qualitative data also provided rich insight into the participants’ experiences with the intervention materials. Overall results suggest that an intervention to promote PTC about teen strengths is feasible and acceptable to parents and teens within primary care.
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Acknowledgments
Primary funding provided by the John Templeton Foundation. This project was supported in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under T71MC30798 Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH). The information or content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. We would like to acknowledge Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; no conflicts of interest) and Richard M. Lerner, PhD (Tufts University; no conflicts of interest) for their consultation regarding intervention development. We want to thank the network of primary care clinicians, the patients and families for their contribution to this project and clinical research facilitated through the Pediatric Research Consortium (PeRC) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, as well as the Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award Research Center (NIH/NCATS Grant #UL1TR000003).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Elizabeth Friedrich, Reyneris Robles, and Karol Silva. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Elizabeth Friedrich and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Friedrich, E., Robles, R., Silva, K. et al. Feasibility and Acceptability of a Novel Primary Care-Based Intervention to Promote Parent-Teen Communication About Teen Strengths. J Primary Prevent 42, 163–181 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-021-00626-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-021-00626-3