Integrated Behavioral Health Prevention in Pediatric Primary Care for Infants

Integrated Behavioral Health Prevention in Pediatric Primary Care for Infants

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a universal prevention program delivered by psychologists in conjunction with pediatric primary care well-child visits.

Integrated behavioral health has emerged as an effective approach to addressing emotional and behavioral health needs of children in the pediatric setting, yet there is little evidence for a standardized model of care for providing universal preventive services in pediatric primary care. Current models are typically loosely constructed, inconsistently applied, and unspecified. Our aim is to evaluate a model of care developed to address these gaps. Integrated Behavioral Health-Prevention (IBH-P) is a collection of clinical strategies and structured approaches designed to promote emotional and behavioral health. IBH-P is delivered by psychologists in the pediatric setting as part of scheduled well-child visits. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention in promoting infant self-regulation. Maternal experience and satisfaction, adherence to well-child visits and immunizations will also be examined.

Inclusion Criteria:

• English speaking
• Biological mother of a newborn infant presenting at the newborn well-child visit
• Intends to continue to receive infant's pediatric care at one of the three participating clinics over the next year.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Infant diagnosed as failure to thrive
• Infant exposure to illicit drugs in utero with the exception of THC
• Extensive care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (>7 days)
• Child has other serious medical condition or acute psychosocial circumstances that results in child not receiving medical clearance from the pediatrician or psychologist for randomization
• mother or father of infant has received Building Futures intervention training