Caring for Children with Prenatal Substance Exposure:  An Educational Video and Pilot Study

Smith, Marie Emily Brobeck

dc.contributor.advisor	Peek, Gloanna	en
dc.contributor.author	Smith, Marie Emily Brobeck
dc.creator	Smith, Marie Emily Brobeck	en
dc.date.accessioned	2018-02-21T18:22:46Z
dc.date.available	2018-02-21T18:22:46Z
dc.date.issued	2017
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10150/626704
dc.description.abstract	Background: Prenatal exposure to opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamine is associated with alterations in fetal brain that lead to structural changes in the brain postnatally, contributing to developmental and behavioral effects seen throughout childhood. Opioid exposure is associated with withdrawal in newborns, effects on somatic growth of infants, difficulty with executive functions and a tendency towards externalizing behaviors in older children. Cocaine and methamphetamine exposure are associated with effects on somatic growth, irritability and feeding issues in infants, problems with executive functions, and externalizing behaviors. Many substance-exposed children are placed in foster care and the pre-licensure training for foster parents does not specifically address how to care for substance-exposed children. Purpose: To create and evaluate a video that outlines common effects of prenatal exposure to opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well as evidenced-based caregiver interventions. Methods: The script for the video “Caring for Children with Prenatal Substance Exposure: Opioids, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine” was written by the author and evaluated by two clinical experts. The video was filmed and was presented to 6 licensed foster parents and 1 unlicensed adoptive parent who evaluated the video’s presentation at Devereux Foster Care Agency in Tucson, AZ using the Patient Educational Materials Assessment Tool for Audio/Visual (PEMAT-AV). Responses were entered into the PEMAT Autoscoring tool and component scores for understadability and actionability were calculated. Results: Both clinical experts evaluated the video’s content as being factual, and consistent with evidence-based research. Mean PEMAT-AV understandability and actionability scores were both 100%. Discussion: The video’s content and presentation are both strong as evidenced by high evaluation scores from clinical experts and foster parents, making it a useful educational tool for educating foster parents on caring for substance-exposed children. Further research is needed to determine if the viewing video increases foster parent knowledge and produces long-term change in parenting practices. Additionally, the video was designed to also be used to educate biological parents of substance-exposed children, but future studies are needed to determine if the video is an effective educational tool for this population.
dc.language.iso	en_US	en
dc.publisher	The University of Arizona.	en
dc.rights	Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.	en
dc.subject	caregiver interventions	en
dc.subject	developmental effects	en
dc.subject	neonatal abstinence syndrome	en
dc.subject	prenatal	en
dc.subject	substance exposure	en
dc.title	Caring for Children with Prenatal Substance Exposure: An Educational Video and Pilot Study	en_US
dc.type	text	en
dc.type	Electronic Dissertation	en
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Arizona	en
thesis.degree.level	doctoral	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Peek, Gloanna	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Bencs, Nicole	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Rishel, Cindy	en
thesis.degree.discipline	Graduate College	en
thesis.degree.discipline	Nursing	en
thesis.degree.name	D.N.P.	en
refterms.dateFOA	2018-05-21T21:11:40Z
html.description.abstract	Background: Prenatal exposure to opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamine is associated with alterations in fetal brain that lead to structural changes in the brain postnatally, contributing to developmental and behavioral effects seen throughout childhood. Opioid exposure is associated with withdrawal in newborns, effects on somatic growth of infants, difficulty with executive functions and a tendency towards externalizing behaviors in older children. Cocaine and methamphetamine exposure are associated with effects on somatic growth, irritability and feeding issues in infants, problems with executive functions, and externalizing behaviors. Many substance-exposed children are placed in foster care and the pre-licensure training for foster parents does not specifically address how to care for substance-exposed children. Purpose: To create and evaluate a video that outlines common effects of prenatal exposure to opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well as evidenced-based caregiver interventions. Methods: The script for the video “Caring for Children with Prenatal Substance Exposure: Opioids, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine” was written by the author and evaluated by two clinical experts. The video was filmed and was presented to 6 licensed foster parents and 1 unlicensed adoptive parent who evaluated the video’s presentation at Devereux Foster Care Agency in Tucson, AZ using the Patient Educational Materials Assessment Tool for Audio/Visual (PEMAT-AV). Responses were entered into the PEMAT Autoscoring tool and component scores for understadability and actionability were calculated. Results: Both clinical experts evaluated the video’s content as being factual, and consistent with evidence-based research. Mean PEMAT-AV understandability and actionability scores were both 100%. Discussion: The video’s content and presentation are both strong as evidenced by high evaluation scores from clinical experts and foster parents, making it a useful educational tool for educating foster parents on caring for substance-exposed children. Further research is needed to determine if the viewing video increases foster parent knowledge and produces long-term change in parenting practices. Additionally, the video was designed to also be used to educate biological parents of substance-exposed children, but future studies are needed to determine if the video is an effective educational tool for this population.