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Culture / Ethnicity / Race

Does Hispanic group membership moderate the relationship between experienced barriers and treatment engagement in a telehealth parent training program?

(PS5-B33) Does Hispanic Group Membership Moderate the Relationship Between Experienced Barriers and Treatment Engagement in a Telehealth Parent Training Program?

Friday, November 17, 2023
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM PST
Location: Regency Ballroom, Level 7
Hispanics are a rapidly growing ethnic group in the U.S. However, systemic inequities often make mental health services inaccessible, leading to engagement challenges for minoritized populations. While Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is an effective treatment for early childhood behavioral concerns, barriers to engagement reduce its benefits. This study aims to analyze the relationship between experienced barriers to treatment and treatment engagement in a brief BPT group delivered through telehealth (TH), with a focus on the potential moderating role of Hispanic group membership. We hypothesize that (1) experienced barriers to treatment will be inversely related to treatment engagement and that (2) Hispanic group membership moderates this link due to the additional barriers experienced by this group beyond those typically measured. We analyzed data from an IRB-approved prospective study. The sample consisted of 29 caregivers of 3 to 7-year-old children who attended a six-week BPT group via TH at a major children's hospital. Seven families identified as Hispanic, one family did not report their race/ethnicity, and 21 families identified as non-Hispanic. Families completed the Barriers to Treatment Participation Scale (BTPS) following the BPT group. Evaluation of treatment engagement was based on treatment attendance and self-reported treatment adherence (i.e., skill practice between sessions). As hypothesized, barriers to treatment experienced by caregivers were inversely related with attendance (r (22) = -.48, p= .02) and attendance (r (22) = -.46, p= .03). A step-wise regression was run examining if experienced barriers predicted attendance differently depending on Hispanic group membership. Simple slopes analyses revealed that experienced barriers was significantly linked to attendance for families identifying as Hispanic (partial r = -.48, p = .03), while marginally significant for families identifying as non-Hispanic (partial r = -.42, p = .06). Simple slopes analyses revealed that experienced barriers were only significantly linked to adherence for families not identifying as Hispanic (partial r = -.48, p = .04) and not for families identifying as Hispanic (partial r = .13, p = .59). Approximately 8 new caregivers join the group every 3 weeks. Thus, we anticipate recruiting 30 more families in addition to the 29 families included in our sample. The results support hypotheses that there is a negative correlation between experienced barriers to treatment and treatment engagement. Preliminary evidence showed that the link between experienced barriers and treatment engagement varied depending on Hispanic group membership. For Hispanic families, experienced barriers were significantly linked to treatment attendance. For non-Hispanic families, experienced barriers were significantly linked to adherence. These findings may suggest that the unique barriers experienced by Hispanic families (not captured by the BTPS) may have a greater impact on session attendance than practicing the skills learned between sessions. We expect presenting findings that will have significant implications for clinicians delivering BPT via TH to Hispanic families and how to maximize therapeutic benefits for this marginalized group.