Peer Professionals to Increase Capacity to Treat ADHD

Peer Professionals to Increase Capacity to Treat ADHD

The goal of this 1-year project is to evaluate a service delivery model by peer support organizations to increase mental health service access and utilization for children at risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from socioeconomically disadvantaged, urban communities. Behavioral parent training [BPT] currently delivered directly by Family Peer Advocates (FPAs), will be evaluated in a sample of 18 families on child outcomes.

The goal of this 1-year project is to further refine and evaluate an existing and employed potentially highly sustainable and scalable service delivery model that leverages peer support organizations to increase mental health service access and utilization for children at risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from socioeconomically disadvantaged, urban communities by improving the delivery of an evidence-based treatment (i.e., behavioral parent training [BPT]) currently delivered directly by Family Peer Advocates (FPAs) to parents of these children. Specifically, through an iterative, single-case cohort design, the investigators will work with FPAs to iteratively refine an existing and employed intervention model with three cohorts of parents (n= 6 families/cohort over 3 cohorts with a total sample size of 18 families). the investigators will collect information from parents before, during and after BPT to assess the impact of BPT on parents perceptions of their child's behavior and functioning, and parenting factors (e.g., parenting behavior, stress, depressive symptoms). In addition, the investigators will utilize this project to gain a better understanding of how best the position the FPA ADHD Model within the broader service delivery system through qualitative interviews with these parents to assess their experience and insights into improving the model. This research project is an effort at evaluating an existing intervention model and refining it through an iterative process.

Inclusion Criteria:

• being a parent of a child who is seeking services through a participating Vibrant Emotional Health site
• being an adult over the age of 18
• having a child between the age of 5-12
• parent must speak English, Spanish, Mandarin, and/or Cantonese.

Exclusion Criteria:

• parent presenting with severe mental health illness (e.g., schizophrenia; bipolar disorder) that would warrant immediate services.