Parenting in the early years: effectiveness of parenting support programs for Indigenous families

This resource sheet examines programs for Australian Indigenous families that effectively support parenting in the early years. This is not a systematic review of all programs; instead, it presents briefly on the evidence for parenting programs generally and then focuses specifically on the evidence for such parenting programs in helping Indigenous families. Programs that focus on supporting parenting in the early years aim to influence the behaviours of children, parents or families in order to reduce the risk or ameliorate the effect of less than optimal social and physical environments. This paper focuses on two types of parenting support programs: parenting programs - short-term interventions aimed at helping parents improve their relationship with their child;  home visiting programs - which include various programs, supports and services delivered to the family by a person visiting the home

Implementation best practice: a rapid evidence assessment

The purpose of this review is to support the Royal Commission’s work in developing recommendations for both preventing institutional child sexual abuse and improving institutional responses to this type of abuse. The purpose of this review is to support the Royal Commission’s work in developing recommendations for both preventing institutional child sexual abuse and improving institutional responses to this type of abuse. To do this, the review summarises the evidence for characteristics of implementation best practice. With an understanding of best practice in implementation, the Royal Commission will be able to develop recommendations with the greatest chance of being implemented and having their intended effect

Problem-solving interventions and depression among adolescents and young adults: A systematic review of the effectiveness of problem-solving interventions in preventing or treating depression.

Problem-solving (PS) has been identified as a therapeutic technique found in multiple evidence-based treatments for depression. To further understand for whom and how this intervention works, we undertook a systematic review of the evidence for PS's effectiveness in preventing and treating depression among adolescents and young adults. We searched electronic databases (PsycINFO, Medline, and Cochrane Library) for studies published between 2000 and 2022. Studies meeting the following criteria were included: (a) the intervention was described by authors as a PS intervention or including PS; (b) the intervention was used to treat or prevent depression; (c) mean or median age between 13-25 years; (d) at least one depression outcome was reported. Risk of bias of included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. A narrative synthesis was undertaken given the high level of heterogeneity in study variables. Twenty-five out of 874 studies met inclusion criteria. The interventions studied were heterogeneous in population, intervention, modality, comparison condition, study design, and outcome. Twelve studies focused purely on PS; 13 used PS as part of a more comprehensive intervention. Eleven studies found positive effects in reducing depressive symptoms and two in reducing suicidality. There was little evidence that the intervention impacted PS skills or that PS skills acted as a mediator or moderator of effects on depression. There is mixed evidence about the effectiveness of PS as a prevention and treatment of depression among AYA. Our findings indicate that pure PS interventions to treat clinical depression have the strongest evidence, while pure PS interventions used to prevent or treat sub-clinical depression and PS as part of a more comprehensive intervention show mixed results. Possible explanations for limited effectiveness are discussed, including missing outcome bias, variability in quality, dosage, and fidelity monitoring; small sample sizes and short follow-up periods

Problem-solving interventions and depression among adolescents and young adults: A systematic review of the effectiveness of problem-solving interventions in preventing or treating depression among 13-25 year olds

Problem-solving (PS) has been identified as a common element in multiple evidence-based treatments for the prevention and treatment of depression. We undertook a systematic review of evidence for the effectiveness and implementation of PS for the prevention and treatment of depression among 13-25 year olds. This review was undertaken as part of Wellcome’s programme of research on active ingredients in prevention and treatment interventions for mental health among adolescents and young adults

Problem-solving interventions and depression among adolescents and young adults: A systematic review of the effectiveness of problem-solving interventions in preventing or treating depression among 13-25 year olds

Background: Problem-solving (PS) has been identified as a common element in multiple evidence-based treatments for the prevention and treatment of depression. We undertook a systematic review of evidence for the effectiveness and implementation of PS for the prevention and treatment of depression among 13-25 year olds. Methods: We searched electronic databases (PsycInfo, Medline, and Cochrane Library) for studies published between 2000 and 2020 described by authors as a PS intervention or including PS approaches to treat or prevent depression in 13-25 year olds. Eighteen out of 902 effectiveness studies and 1 out of 480 implementation studies met inclusion criteria. Results: The interventions studied were heterogeneous in population, intervention, modality, comparison condition, study design, and outcome. Eight focused purely on PS; eight used PS as part of a wider intervention. Six studies found positive effects in reducing depression, and two in reducing suicidality. Seven measured effects on PS skills. There was little evidence of change in PS skills, about PS skills as mediator or moderator of effects on depression, or about the fit, feasibility, or acceptability of PS interventions. Discussion: There is mixed evidence about the effectiveness of PS as treatment and prevention of depression among AYAs although our findings suggest it can work in a wide range of contexts and forms. Possible explanations for limited effectiveness are: not all studies included populations where depression was known to be present; variability in quality, dosage and fidelity monitoring; small samples size and short follow-up periods

Assessing the effectiveness and implementation of a universal classroom-based set of educator practices to improve preschool children's social-emotional outcomes: Protocol for a cluster randomized controlled type 2 hybrid trial in Singapore.

BackgroundProviding high-quality early childhood care and education is understood as key to maximizing children's potential to succeed later in life, as it stimulates young children's development of skills and competencies needed to promote optimal outcomes and success later in life. Despite the government's efforts to support the early childhood sector, educators in Singapore continue to report difficulties in implementing practices in classrooms that promote children's social, emotional, and cognitive development. To enhance educators' skills in these domains, we developed the Enhancing And Supporting Early development to better children's Lives (EASEL) Approach, a set of universal, educator-delivered practices for use with 3-6-year-old children in early childhood settings to improve social, emotional, behavioral, and executive functioning (SEB+EF) outcomes.MethodsThis study will evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of the EASEL Approach in improving early childhood educators' teaching practices and, in turn, children's SEB+EF outcomes. We will conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial with a type 2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study in 16 childcare centers. The EPIS (Explore, Prepare, Implement, Sustain) Framework will be used to inform the implementation of the EASEL Approach. Implementation strategies include training, educator self-assessments, practice-based coaching, and data monitoring. Our primary outcome is educators' teaching practices. Secondary outcomes include educators' adoption of the EASEL Approach in everyday practice, the acceptability and feasibility of the EASEL Approach, and children's SEB+EF outcomes. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected at baseline, six months, and after implementation.ConclusionFindings from this study will provide significant evidence on the effectiveness of the EASEL Approach in improving educators' teaching practices and its impact on children's SEB+EF outcomes and the implementation of the EASEL Approach in early childhood classrooms in Singapore.Trial registrationThis study was prospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT05445947 on 6th July 2022

Interventions that Address Institutional Child Maltreatment: An Evidence and Gap Map

Purpose: This evidence and gap map collates evidence reporting on the effectiveness of interventions aimed to prevent, disclose, respond to, or treat child maltreatment occurring in institutional settings. Methods: A comprehensive and systematic literature search identified primary studies and systematic reviews meeting the review’s eligibility criteria. Literature screening, data extraction and critical appraisals were undertaken independently by multiple reviewers. Data extracted and reported from the included studies included information about the institutional setting, target population, type of maltreatment, intervention type and outcomes. Results: Seventy-three studies were identified, including 11 systematic reviews and 62 primary studies. Overall, the methodological quality of the studies was low to moderate. Most evaluated curriculum-based interventions delivered in educational settings, primarily aimed at preventing sexual abuse. Fewer studies examined other institutional settings or intervention types. Conclusions: This review highlights a need for high-quality studies evaluating a more diverse range of interventions across more varied institutional contexts

Time requirement for assessments in the EASEL trial.

Time requirement for assessments in the EASEL trial.</p

SPIRIT schedule of enrolment, interventions, and assessments.

SPIRIT schedule of enrolment, interventions, and assessments.</p