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Toward fostering resilience on a large scale: Connecting communities of caregivers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 November 2019

Suniya S. Luthar ,
Nina L. Kumar  and
Renee Benoit
Suniya S. Luthar*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
Nina L. Kumar
Affiliation:
Authentic Connections, Cambridge, MA, USA
Renee Benoit
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
*
Author for Correspondence: Suniya S. Luthar, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, 950 S. McAllister Ave., Tempe, AZ 85287; E-mail: SLuthar@asu.edu.
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Abstract

In interventions for at-risk children, Tom Dishion strongly exhorted programs that are short term, cost-effective, and delivered in families’ own communities, just as resilience researchers underscore the need for programs that provide ongoing support for children's primary caregivers, and are implementable on a large scale. Presented here are preliminary results on a short-term intervention for mothers, the Authentic Connections Virtual Groups. A previous randomized trial of the in-person version of this program, conducted with mothers at high risk for stress and burnout, showed significant benefits. There had been zero dropouts across the 3-month program, and participants showed significant improvements on psychological indices as well as cortisol, even 3 months after the program ended. In the present study, virtual groups were conducted with five sets of women, all white-collar professionals with highly stressful, exacting careers, and most also primary caregivers of their children. Again, there were zero dropouts. Mean satisfaction ratings were 9.6 of 10, and the Net Promoter Score (promoters vs. detractors) fell in the “world class” range. To illuminate mechanisms of change, participants’ responses to open-ended questions on the groups’ value are presented verbatim. Recurrently mentioned were the development of new, authentic connections and invaluable ongoing support. These results, with the low costs and ease of women's attendance, attest to the value of expanding offerings such as these, toward benefiting even more highly stressed mothers themselves as well as the children for whose care they are responsible.

Keywords

motherspreventionresiliencesocial supportstressInterpersonal Therapy (IPT)
Type
Special Issue Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 31 , Special Issue 5: Honoring the Contributions and Legacy of Thomas Dishion , December 2019 , pp. 1813 - 1825
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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