Trauma-Informed Parenting Skills for Resource Parents: A Pilot Study of Acceptability, Feasibility, and Effectiveness

Children entering foster care have often been exposed to a myriad of traumatic events- abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence (Shaw et al., 2015). These experiences can be destabilizing and dysregulating, and present considerable challenges to resource parents charged with introducing stability into their lives (Humphreys et al., 2022). Trauma-informed parenting strategies are noted to improve a resource parent's capacity to manage a child's trauma sequelae, and to improve family resiliency, though many of these programs are didactic in nature. For families needing therapeutic support, evidence-based intervention options are limited (Angelow et al., 2023; Patterson et al., 2018).

This pilot study examines intervention feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes of the Trauma-Informed Parenting for Resource Parents intervention in 34 resource parents, over time. It was hypothesized that disruption worry, trauma-informed knowledge and skills, caregiving efficacy, and secondary traumatic stress would improve, considering the number of placements, child sex and age, and mode of delivery.

Statistically significant changes were noted in disruption worry and knowledge and skills from pre to post that were sustained at follow-up. Significant changes in empathy were noted that varied by the sex of the index child; improvements remained constant at follow-up. Session rating scores indicated intervention acceptability, and measures of feasibility identified significant challenges related to completion of study measures, even in those who completed the intervention.

Based on the results of this study, there is evidence of effectiveness though authors recommend enhancements to the intervention and evaluation protocol for further implementation and study.