$3 million grant focused on parents of children born very premature
The National Institutes of Health/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH/NICHD) has awarded a prestigious R01 grant of over $3 million to a team of researchers focused on parents of children born very premature.
The study, “Parent training for parents of toddlers born very premature: A factorial design to test web delivery and telephone coaching,” is led by MPI Susie Breitenstein, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN, associate professor and assistant dean for research and innovation at The Ohio State University College of Nursing, and co-MPI Michelle Greene, PhD, of Rush University.
“Our team is very excited for the opportunity to test innovative and accessible methods to support parents,” Breitenstein said. “As the central figure in young children’s lives, parents are a key foundation for promoting the social, behavioral and emotional well-being of their children.”
This study will develop and test digitally-delivered behavioral parent training to address the unmet and unique needs of parents of children born very premature. The study’s authors point out that children born very premature (less than 32 weeks gestational age) have higher risks and vulnerabilities for developing behavior problems. These behavioral problems can occur as early as two years of age and, if untreated, can cause long-term problems for the child and family.
This study will test the ezParent program, a web-based adaptation of the Chicago Parent Program, paired with coaching calls for parents.
“Leveraging technology to deliver parent training and providing parents with brief, supportive coaching calls represent sustainable and feasible methods to deliver empirically-supported parent training to improve social, emotional and behavioral outcomes in these young children,” Breitenstein stated.
Study co-investigators include Sarah Keim, PhD, of Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH); Mary Lauren Neel, MD, of NCH; Michael Schoeny, PhD, of Rush University; Kousiki Patra, MD, of Rush University; and Julia Berteletti, MSW, of Klein Buendel, Inc.
