Poster #151 - Tuning in to Kids in rural Appalachia: Leveling hierarchy enhances implementation of parent education groups

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Emotional competence is associated with better psychological adjustment and reduced behavior problems, thus acting as a protective factor for developing youth (Wilson, Havighurst, & Harley, 2012). Parents who use an “emotion coaching” style contribute to children’s developing emotional competence through validation and encouragement of children’s emotional expression (Gottman, Katz, & Hooven, 1996). Tuning into Kids (TiK) is a parent education curriculum with well-documented beneficial effects in Australian communities (Havighurst, Wilson, Harley, & Prior, 2009; Havighurst, Wilson, Harley, Prior, & Kehoe, 2010). We delivered TiK to parents in rural Appalachia, a region with documented inequities in health and health care and where self-reliance, dependence on family and kin, and egalitarianism are valued (Behringer, 2006). Access to health care is constrained in part by cultural and communication conflicts between providers and clients (Behringer, 2006; Lee, 1996). Furthermore, residents of Appalachia may be reluctant to trust outsiders, in part due to a history of exploitation (Russ, 2010). Thus, providers may have difficulty gaining credibility and building rapport during service delivery. We examined facilitator attempts at leveling hierarchy as a means of building solidarity with participants and encouraging participants’ engagement with program content.
TiK was delivered to two groups of parents at a church outreach program. A total of nine caregivers participated in at least one session. Each program delivery consisted of six weekly sessions lasting 1.5 to 2 hours each. The facilitator used a structured manual to teach parents five steps of emotion coaching via psychoeducation, video demonstrations, role plays, and group exercises (Havighurst & Harley, 2007). Sessions were audiorecorded and transcribed. Research team members, who included experts in Appalachian Studies, Developmental Psychology, Linguistics, and Marriage and Family Systems, analyzed transcripts and noted facilitator behaviors related to participant engagement. A notable theme that emerged was facilitator attempts to level the hierarchy, which was especially pertinent given emphasis on egalitarianism in the region. Transcripts were coded to capture facilitator behaviors that leveled the hierarchy. See Table 1. These behaviors were used as a focal point for a discourse analytic approach to understanding participants’ roles and stances in conversation, to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the facilitator’s techniques. See Table 2.
This qualitative analysis of session transcripts suggested that facilitator attempts at leveling the hierarchy via self-disclosure, recognizing participant expertise, and putting aside her own expertise had the effect of building solidarity, encouraging participants’ own disclosure, and increasing willingness to engage with the emotion coaching material. Notably, the facilitator frequently shared examples of her own experiences emotion coaching her children as well as disclosure of her own Appalachian roots, an important element given distrust of outsiders and the high cultural valuation of networks of mutual aid.
Facilitator attempts to level the hierarchy may be an effective tool within these parent education groups because this strategy builds the connection between facilitator and participants and normalizes self-reflection and growth. When working with marginalized populations, facilitators’ attempts to level the hierarchy may be a particularly important means of creating trust and helping participants feel humanized and respected.

Authors

• Chelsea Yanuaria, Virginia Tech
  Presenting Author

• Erika Hernandez, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katie Carmichael, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author

• Emily Satterwhite, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author

• Megan Leigh Dolbin-MacNab, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author

• Julie Dunsmore, Virginia Tech
  Non-Presenting Author