Filipino Family Health Initiative

The overall objective of the proposed research is to test the effectiveness of a parenting program (Incredible Years® School Age Basic & Advanced Parent Training Program, IYP) on Filipino parents recruited from multiple community-based settings and its impact on trajectories of parenting practices, parenting stress, and child problem behavior.

Evidence-based parenting interventions provided in early childhood have proven to be effective in preventing the onset and escalation of child mental health disorders. IYP is one of the best-studied and most highly regarded parent training programs. As a result of pilot studies funded by a NIH K23 and a NCATS KL2 award, the investigators have identified IYP as a community-identified solution for preventing behavioral health disparities, demonstrated IYP efficacy in improving parenting practices and parenting stress in Filipino parents, and child problem behavior.

This population was chosen because: 1) Filipinos are the second largest immigrant population in the U.S. with the highest concentration living in Los Angeles; 2) Filipinos are exposed to multiple adversities, including immigration stress and relocation, loss of social status, and lower self-esteem due to discrimination, placing young children at risk for future behavioral and mental health problems; 3) U.S.-born Filipino youth exhibit higher rates of mental health problems than non-Hispanic whites and attain significantly lower levels of education than their foreign-born counterparts and other U.S.-born Asian American populations; and 4) Filipinos are less likely than non-Hispanic whites to participate in mental health and preventive care interventions.

The proposed study will be a randomized controlled trial involving 180 parents of children aged 8-12 years old. Parents will be randomly chosen to receive either a) an online 12 - week parenting intervention called the Incredible Years (intervention group) or b) AAP bright future handouts with general parenting advice (control group). The control group will be offered the Incredible Years after a 3-month wait list period.

Findings will contribute to the scientific literature on preventive and early intervention programs for children at high risk for future behavioral problems. The data will also provide important information to understand the processes underlying how IYP affects parenting practices and subsequent child problem behavior among Filipino families. The importance of this research rests on its potential to prevent behavioral health disparities in this understudied and high-risk population.