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Parent Psychopathology and Resilience Builder Program® Outcomes: The Moderating Role of Gender

Fri, April 9, 12:55 to 1:55pm EDT (12:55 to 1:55pm EDT), Virtual

Abstract

Introduction:
Social competence has been found to be a primary component of healthy functioning and development (Burt et al., 2008). For a child, social skills are necessary to develop solid relationships with peers and adults. Positive and supportive relationships in a child’s life have been shown to promote resilient behavior and lower the risk of developing psychological concerns such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem (Alvord & Grados, 2005). Parent psychopathology is one variable that can interfere with the parent-child relationship and contribute to a negative, non-supportive environment. As a result, parent psychopathology may increase a child’s difficulty in developing adequate resilience, emotion regulation, and social functioning (Burt et al., 2008). Further research suggests that parent psychopathology may impact the effectiveness of treatment for a child receiving psychotherapy (Ahun et al., 2017). This relationship was identified in youth with autism spectrum disorder who received the Resilience Builder Program® (RBP; Reid et al., 2019), but has yet to be explored in other clinical populations within the program. Further, the potential role of child gender in moderating the relationship between parent psychopathology and RBP outcome has not been explored. This study aims to address the question of whether overall symptoms of parent psychopathology produces poorer outcomes in their child’s treatment.

Methods:
Data was collected from 299 children (M = 9.59 years, SD = 1.57; 72.9% male) who completed the Resilience Builder Program® (RBP) at private practice. RBP is a manualized, 14-week resilience-based cognitive behavioral group treatment for children who struggle with social competence and self-regulation. Children completed measures before and after RBP that assessed emotion regulation, social skills/relationships, and resilience: Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2), How I Feel (HIF), and Resiliency Scale for Children and Adolescents (RSCA). The children’s parents completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) to self-report symptoms of their psychopathology.

Results:
Regression analyses demonstrated that greater symptoms of parent psychopathology predicted poorer treatment outcomes. Specifically, the global severity index (GSI) subscale of the BSI predicted poorer response to RBP in subscales of resilience (Relatedness, Emotional Reactivity, Support, Tolerance, and Impairment). Interestingly, greater parent GSI predicted better treatment outcome in Self-Reliance (BASC-2). Moderation analyses found that gender was a significant moderator of the Self-Reliance subscale: while RBP outcome in boys was not affected by parent psychopathology, girls showed better RBP outcomes with higher symptoms of parent GSI.

Conclusion:
Results suggest that parent psychopathology may interfere with a child’s ability to produce positive outcomes in interventions and treatment. Implications of these results may suggest that parents have their own difficulties in emotion regulation and perhaps are unable to model resilient behavior. Therapists conducting preventative interventions or treatment for children must be cognizant of any presence of psychopathology in parents, as it may affect outcomes. Additionally, results suggest that simultaneous parent-focused groups may be of value. Results of moderation analyses produced a singular significant finding, perhaps due to our small sample of girls; however, it may indicate that gender has an effect on treatment and may be a direction for future research.

Authors