Symposia
Dissemination & Implementation Science
Dominique N. Egger, M.A.
Graduate Student
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas
Dominique N. Egger, M.A.
Graduate Student
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas
Sarah Kate Bearman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
Chinwendu Duru, M.S.
Ph. D. Graduate Student
University of Texas at Austin
Round Rock, Texas
Antara Gupta, Student
Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas
Jennifer Duc, DO
Assistant Professor
Dell Medical School
Austin, Texas
Michelle Gallas, DO
Assistant Professor
Dell Medical School
Austin, Texas
Tara Greendyk, MD
Assistant Professor
Dell Medical School
Austin, Texas
Background. Positive parenting is comprised of warm, responsive and predictable behaviors (Dix, 1991; Wahler & Meginnis, 1997). Programs that introduce positive parenting to caregivers when children are young lead to positive psychosocial outcomes (Long et al., 1994; Sitnick et al., 2015), but minoritized families and those affected by poverty are often not given access to these programs, despite evidence that it could be beneficial (Alegria et al., 2010; Santiago et al., 2013). Families interface with pediatric primary care earlier than other settings, like school or mental health clinics, and primary care was available during the COVID-19 pandemic (Mayo et al., 2021). Families trust medical providers for guidance beyond physical health (Bailin & Bearman, 2022; Horn et al., 2012; Riley et al., 2021). However, early-career medical providers are trained to manage many physical concerns but have less training in behavioral concerns (Nasir et al., 2016). Understanding medical providers’ training, experiences, and comfort with parenting can inform efforts to increase parenting guidance in this setting.
Method. Fifty-four medical residents (67% Female) reported on their training, experience with behavioral consultations, and beliefs about their patients’ psychosocial concerns. A subset (n = 22) participated in focus groups regarding these topics.
Results. Residents rated themselves moderately proficient in consulting with parents about behavioral issues. Proficiency level was positively correlated with year in residency (r(51) = 0.50, p < 0.05), and hours in child psychosocial development training (r(51) = 0.36, p < 0.05). On average, residents endorsed the relevance of addressing psychosocial concerns with families during medical visits, and greater endorsement of psychosocial relevance was inversely correlated with perceptions of patients as burdensome (r(52) = 0.59, p < 0.05). Focus group themes suggest that residents believe parenting to be the basis of healthy development and have a basic understanding of positive parenting, but struggle with time restrictions, concerns about appearing judgmental, and lack of experience providing parenting guidance.
Conclusion. Medical providers need support to provide parenting guidance, despite recognizing its value. This presentation will expand upon these results and discuss how to bolster positive parenting practices in a primary care setting while acknowledging barriers.