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COVID-19 Out of the Box: Implications of Virtual Delivery for Parenting Education Accessibility and Outcomes

Fri, April 9, 3:15 to 4:15pm EDT (3:15 to 4:15pm EDT), Virtual

Abstract

Literature Review. Statistics associated with youth emotional and mental health are alarming. In Oregon, eighth graders report declining emotional and mental health, with over 20% reporting their emotional and mental health as fair or poor in 2015, 25% in 2017, and 32% in 2019. The percentage of eighth and eleventh graders in Oregon reporting depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior has also increased (Oregon Health Authority, 2019). Youth mental health outcomes can improve when youth are consistently supported by a caring adult, however (e.g., Benson & Scales, 2009; Lerner, 2006; Masten, 2014). Parenting education programs can effectively teach adults to scaffold youth social-emotional growth (Ponzetti, 2016), having greater lasting impact than programs aimed at youth alone (Kumpfer & Magalhães, 2018). Parenting education is typically delivered in-person. Unfortunately, COVID-19 precautions led organizations to stop in-person parenting education classes, potentially removing this effective support as family stress increased. The present study focuses on parenting education programs delivered by an organization with an established record of high-quality, evidence-based parenting education programs for parents and adolescents (Kumpfer & Magalhães, 2018) serving two counties in rural Oregon. With the onset of COVID-19, implementation was moved online. This shift in programming coupled with ongoing data collection through a university partner provides a unique opportunity to explore the impact of delivery method (in-person/virtual) on program participation/accessibility and parenting outcomes. The proposed study will compare participation in parenting education programs pre/during-COVID-19 (March 2019-December 2019 and March 2020-December 2020) to evaluate the impact of this shift on accessibility and parenting outcomes comparing in-person and virtual settings.
Research Questions. RQ1: How does the number of participants (participants completing at least one session or >70% of a series) compare before and after the onset of COVID-19? RQ2: How do demographics of participating families (i.e., socioeconomic status, gender, race, age and number of children, marital status) compare pre/during-COVID-19? RQ3: How does change in parenting skills compare pre/during-COVID-19?
Methods. A university partner collects data quarterly. Measures include demographic data, participation rates (number attending at least one class; number attending >70%), and parenting outcomes on a 12-item pre-post retrospective measure (Parenting Skills Ladder; PSL; Pratt, Katzev, Peters, Bowman, Rennekamp, & Sektnan, 2014). The PSL will be used to compare self-assessed changes in parenting skills.
Analytic Plan: RQ1: We will descriptively compare the number of participants reached pre/during-COVID-19 (March 2019-February 2020 and March 2020-February 2021, respectively). RQ2: Chi-squared tests will compare participant demographics pre/during-COVID-19. RQ3: We will compare PSL outcomes (gain scores) using regression analyses, controlling for time (pre/during-COVID-19), and demographics.
Expected Results. We hypothesize that the online format reaches more families (RQ1). Also, we expect that online classes broaden the demographic mix, reaching a less white, less affluent audience (RQ2). Finally, we hypothesize that parents’ ratings of parenting skills changes will be as positive as they are for in-person classes (RQ3).
Discussion. Study results have implications for delivery of parenting education programs during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic related to delivery format as well as enhancing our understanding of what works and for whom.

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