Facilitators and Barriers to Implementing a Complex Parent-based Intervention to Prevent Child Mental Health Problems

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychology
• Implementation Science
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Child and adolescent mental health issues are prevalent globally, necessitating effective interventions within Norwegian municipal child and family services.
• A gap exists between research on interventions and their practical implementation in these services.
• Supportive Parents - Coping Kids is a new, transdiagnostic, parent-based intervention designed for internalizing and externalizing child symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore facilitators and barriers to the implementation of the Supportive Parents - Coping Kids intervention.
• To understand contextual factors influencing the adoption of complex psychosocial interventions in municipal services.
• To inform the successful integration of evidence-based practices in child and family services.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.
• Semi-structured interviews conducted with 29 practitioners and leaders across seven municipalities.
• Analysis using inductive content analysis and thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: meeting service needs, practitioner confidence in the intervention, balancing intervention flexibility with complexity, and navigating resource limitations.
• Facilitators included perceived need and confidence; barriers involved complexity and resource constraints.
• These themes highlight critical factors for successful implementation of complex interventions.

Conclusions:

• Successful implementation of Supportive Parents - Coping Kids and similar complex interventions depends on addressing practical challenges like resource allocation and intervention adaptability.
• Understanding and mitigating identified barriers are crucial for bridging the research-practice gap in child mental health.
• The findings offer insights into mechanisms promoting or hindering the adoption of evidence-based practices in real-world service settings.