Parent interventions help parents develop good skills and positive parent practices. These interventions have already shown effect in Norway and are becoming a part of common practice. In the PIRM study, we are going to evaluate parent interventions provided to families with refugee backgrounds coming to Norway. We also want to know more about the families’ experiences before they had to travel, during the travel, and their settlement in Norway.
Parent interventions help parents develop good skills and positive parent practices. These interventions have already shown effect in Norway and are becoming a part of common practice in Norway. The interventions are used to strengthen social interactions and positive relations between parents and children. In the PIRM study, we are going to evaluate whether parent interventions are useful for families with refugee backgrounds coming to Norway. We also want to know more about the families’ experiences before they had to travel, during the travel, and their settlement in Norway.
The study is a national collaboration between the Regional Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (RKBU North), and the other regional centers, RKBU Mid, RKBU West, and RBUP East and South, as well as the Office for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufetat). The project is supported by the KAVLI trust and led by Associate Professor Lene-Mari P. Rasmussen at RKBU North.
Using a mixed method, randomized factorial design the study is aimed at evaluating the effect of (1) parenting interventions to address parental stress, child behavior, resilience, and parents’ mental health and (2) the use of feedback. Factor 1 is based on random assignment to one of the parenting interventions Incredible Years (IY) or International Child Development Program (ICDP). The parenting interventions are delivered over 15 weeks (IY) or 12 weeks (ICDP) in group-based settings. Factor 2 is based on random assignment of the parenting groups to the (a) with MFS or (b) without MFS condition. The MFS is answered weekly via a phone app, MittEcho, and results are sent to group leaders in the MFS condition. Families with children aged 6 to 12 years who have settled in Norway within nine years are recruited.
This study endeavors to provide information about what helps families with refugee backgrounds integrate successfully into new cultural contexts with different laws, norms, and expectations. Whether or not these interventions can help to normalize this experience, reduce stress, and provide parents with new tools to improve their parenting and the lives of their children are important questions that we address. These findings can lead to the further establishment of evidence-based practices in Norway.
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