Poster #68 - Seedlings©: A Modular Trauma-Informed Intervention for Addressing ACEs in Caregivers

• In Event: Poster Session 02

Abstract

Extant programming that can prevent and mitigate the effects of early life adversity and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) often targets adults (e.g., parents, teachers) as agents of change who can recognize, prevent, and heal adversity exposure in children, but rarely addresses adults’ own exposure to early adversity. This may have potential unintended consequences including 1) adult disengagement, distrust, and hopelessness, if information on effects of stress is presented in the absence of processing support, and 2) reduced adult engagement in personal positive health behaviors, thereby exacerbating negative health consequences via hopelessness. Programs that simultaneously support adult and child well-being and trauma-processing, however, may improve service engagement, promote positive parenting, reduce child exposure to ACEs resulting from diminished caregiver well-being (e.g., poor mental health), and bolster family psychosocial stability.

We partnered with nonprofit organizations and government partners to develop a caregiver program that addresses this need by providing tailored sets of tools to process trauma and ACEs in adult caregivers of children, build social relationships, promote well-being, and grow capacity for change. Seedlings© is a manualized 10-week curriculum disseminated by Growing Home, Inc. for parents, available in English and Spanish. We summarize the initial needs assessment and development process, describe core components and adaptations, and review promising preliminary Seedlings© data to highlight the potential efficacy of this approach.

Initial Seedlings© participants (n=29) completed measures of self-report measures including the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF), and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief COPE). Of these participants, 66% reported experiencing four or more ACEs. 45% of participants completed the program and measures in Spanish. Paired sample t-test analyses were conducted to explore pre- and post-participation differences in self-reported anxiety, parental self-efficacy, parenting stress, and parental use of coping strategies among initial Seedlings© participants.

Qualitative themes emerging from interviews with direct service providers and agency leaders underscored how Seedlings© addresses high trauma rates in communities by offering actionable steps and knowledge to empower caregivers. Paired sample t-tests revealed significant decreases in self-reported anxiety (t(28) = 4.75, p < 0.001) and parenting stress (t(28) = 2.23, p < 0.05), along with a significant increase in parental self-efficacy (t(28) = - 2.14, p < 0.05). Following program completion, participants reported greater use of active coping (t(28) = - 2.77, p < 0.05) and planning strategies (t(28) = - 2.24, p < 0.05).

Offering trauma processing for adult caregivers can disrupt intergenerational transmission and significantly improve caregiver and youth well-being beyond that of child-focused, trauma-informed programming. Overall, the framework reviewed here translates ACEs research into action by integrating it with knowledge on child development, the transition to parenting as a sensitive window for parent and child, and behavior change. Further, results indicate that future efforts include uplifting and supporting early childhood educators and early childhood consultants and leadership to address their own stress through trauma-informed programming.

Authors

• Elex Rae Portell, University of Denver
  Presenting Author

• Andrew (Drew) B. McGee, University of Denver

• Tiffany Phu, University of Denver

• Thania Galvan, University of Georgia

• Sarah E Watamura, University of Denver