‘Life after Mellow’- An exploration of the feasibility and acceptability of long-term follow-up methods for the Mellow Babies intervention

Clarke, Caoimhe (2019) ‘Life after Mellow’- An exploration of the feasibility and acceptability of long-term follow-up methods for the Mellow Babies intervention. D Clin Psy thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Background: The quality of the early parent-child relationship is linked to a child’s neurophysiological, physical and psychological development with relationship difficulties being linked to emotional and physical difficulties throughout the child’s life. Parenting interventions, such as Mellow Babies, which focus on the quality of the parent-child relationship, have been found to improve parent and child outcomes. There is currently very little research into the long-term effects of parenting interventions on parents and their children, feasibility studies are necessary in order to guide implementation of larger scale research in the area.
Aims: This study aims to explore the feasibility of conducting follow-up research with parents 18 months after taking part in a Mellow Babies intervention in order to inform future larger scale research in the area. The study estimated a 25% attrition rate and aimed to recruit 45 of 60 (75%) potential participants.
Methods: Sixty parents who took part in the Mellow Babies intervention as part of the AIM Project were invited to complete questionnaires on their psychological well-being and quality of life. They were also video recorded interacting with their baby to provide information on the quality of the interaction. Parents’ scores on all outcomes measures at follow-up were compared to pre- and post-intervention outcomes from the AIM Project.
Results: 22 out of a possible 60 (37%) parents were successfully recruited to the study. 18 (30%) could not be contacted by the referrer, 3 (5%) declined participation, 15 (28%) did not respond to the referrer or the researcher. Five of the seven parents of older children who took part in the AIM Project engaged in the long-term follow-up. Those who were successfully recruited to follow-up were more likely to be older than those who did not engage. Small positive effect sizes were observed on measures of global psychological severity, anxiety and quality of life at T3 when compared to T1. However, these results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size of the study.
Conclusion: It is feasible to recruit parents to follow-up research, however changes in service provision in the region led to difficulties and delays in recruitment. Due to the small sample size assumptions cannot be made from the findings of the outcome evaluation and follow-up research is necessary in order to continue to explore the impact of Mellow Babies on parent and child outcomes.

• Item Type: Thesis (D Clin Psy)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Parenting, attachment, long-term, follow-up, feasibility.
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
• Colleges/Schools: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Supervisor's Name: Lucy, Dr. Thompson
• Date of Award: 2019
• Depositing User: Ms Caoimhe Clarke
• Unique ID: glathesis:2019-75050
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 09 Oct 2019 08:47
• Last Modified: 28 Jun 2022 12:35
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.75050
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/75050