1. Parent Child interaction Model developed by Kathryn E. Barnard
Group Members:
Melinda Hawley
Kathy LaPonsie
Ellen Scripsema
Hilary Edmondson
Parent Child Interaction Model; developed by Kathryn E. Barnard

2. Overview of theory
Healthy child development is dependent upon the parent/caregiver responding to signals from the child in a loving and dependable manner, starting from the moment of birth. (Qaiser, 2014).
Environment
Cultrural
Social Support
Financial Resources
Community Involvment
Caregiver/Parent
Psychosocial
Physical/Mental Health
Coping
Age
Education
Interaction
Child
Sleep patterns
Temperment
Physical Appearance
Handicaps
In the 1970’s, Barnard set out to make the connection between the earliest communication and touch with the way humans develop socially, emotionally, and behaviorally. Infants learn cues from their parents at birth, as to whether their world will be a safe and predictable place. How a child interacts with their environment and their caregiver or parent is the fundamental mechanism for how the child will develop. Factors that can affect the caregiver or parents interaction include their psychosocial abilities, physical and mental health, how they cope, their age and education. The environment plays a role in the interaction with the child because culture, social support, finances, and the community can all have positive and or negative affects. A child’s sleep and feeding patters, as well as their temperament, looks, and any disabilities can impact the relationship. The attention that a newborn seeks and the way the caregiver or parent responds will directly correlate with the resulting behavior of the child.

3. Nursing Paradigm defined
Person – to comprehend auditory, visual, and tactile stimuli; and then put this information to good use
Health – family provides the basic preventative health care
Environment – places, people, objects, sounds, and sights
Nursing – education to facilitate changes
In Barnard’s model, she describes a person as not only being able to comprehend auditory, visual, and tactile stimuli, but in being able to put this information to meaningful use. To promote the health of this relationship, the main necessity is the family and the way it interacts. Through a successful parent-child relationship, it is a way of preventative health care, which will avoid behavioral issues as the child grows. In this model, Barnard also depicts anything that can come into play within the environment of the parent and child. Animate and inanimate objects within the environment can affect the relationship. And lastly nursing, as nurses we promote healthy environments and educate. We encourage bonding among newborns and their parents and ensure that the changing environment is adaptable.

4. Theory analysis
Accuracy – relationship between depressed parents and child conduct
Simplicity – basic concept, children that have a stronger interaction with parents/caregivers will have better behaviors
Scope – nursing, psychologists, sociologists, parents, educators
Acceptance – accepted throughout the world by parents, educators and clinicians
Socio-Cultural Utility – useful across variety of cultures; may be affected by economics, family dynamics, and support
In analyzing the Parent/Child Interaction Model, there is a great amount of accuracy that is supported by numerous studies. An example of one of these studies was done at the University of Florida in After gathering data, there was a proven correlation between mothers with symptoms of depression and children who had a higher rate of reported conduct problems. Simplicity. This theory is a basic concept which proves that the interaction between children and their parents will result in a stronger relationship and a decrease in behavioral issues.
If the caregiver provides an environment of safety, protection, soothing, and comfort, the bond will be more closely intact. This theory was specifically focused on the nursing scope of practice but plays a significant role in the research and practice of psychologists, sociologists, parents, and educators in schools and day cares. This model is accepted across numerous cultures worldwide is adapted by health care clinicians, parents, caregivers, and educators. While it is accepted across socio-cultural boundaries, financial resources can cause limitations. Other factors that can cause a breakdown in this relationship bond is whether there is only a mother in the home, only a father in the home, or whether both sets of parents are present and by how much. The support that is given by other relatives and grandparents also plays an important factor in this theory.

5. Application of the Barnard Model
Care of Premature Infants
Quality parent-premie interactions
Relationship-based
Developmentally supportive
A research article that is applicable to the Barnard Parent-Child Interaction Model looks at care of premature infants. When a baby is born premature, they are forced to spend their early days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This can cause a delay in the bonding that is essential to take place between the newborn and his or her parents. Can this deprivation of quality parent-child interaction pose a serious threat to the future of the child’s developmental outcomes? According to Barnard’s model, the environment plays an important role in the parent-child relationship. Parents and guardians must be present at the NICU to work hard to develop quality interactions to help support their interactions with the environment they are forced to grow in. A stronger relationship is built right from the beginning of birth as long as the parents are continuing to be present in the environment the premie baby is in. And no matter what challenges the parents are faced with, it is essential that they are present in the NICU to help with care and feeding for their baby and to be educated on supportive premature infant care.

6. Research Effectiveness of teaching parents about preterm infant cues.
Reducing parenting stress after preterm birth.
COPE program
NCAST Feeding and Teaching Scales
(Chesney & Anderson, 2012)
A study done by Harrison, Sherrod, Dunn, and Olivet in 1991 looked at the effectiveness of teaching parents about preterm infant cues. This study compared parents that were given detailed demonstrations, as well as verbal and written instructions with parents who were given very brief instructions of preterm infant cues. Evaluation of these infants was done 6 weeks later after discharge and results showed that the parents who received more detailed instructions had newborns with better feeding and growth patterns. A second study was done by a Norweign team that tested the effects of an early-intervention program on parenting stress after a preterm birth until one year of age. This study looked at interventions consisting of sessions given shortly before discharge and then followed up by home visits by specially trained nurses to focus on premie’s unique characteristics, temperament, and potential changes in development. While these results did not show much differences in stress levels of parents whether they attended these sessions or not, an added program done in the United States called Creating Opportunities for Parent Empowerment (COPE) did. The mothers who participated in the COPE program were given the opportunity to receive information on ways to best parent premature infants and instruction on the appearance and behaviors of preterm infants. These mothers had significantly less stress, anxiety, and depression while in the NICU and at 2 months of age. Those involved in the COPE program also had neonates who had shorter stays in the NICU which shows that the parent-child interaction that begins soon after birth can help not only with the parents’ mental health, but the newborns overall well-being. The Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training (NCAST) feeding and teaching scales is another tool that grades how well a child is feeding while in the NICU and after discharge. Results from the NCAST scores shows that higher results come from those that have environments where the parent-child interaction is maintained and lower parental stress levels

7. Research without the framework
Could this research have been done without the Barnard Model?
How relevant is the Barnard model to parent-child interaction when it comes to preterm infants?
Did this research prove the effectiveness of the Barnard Model?
The research done on premature infants could not have been done without the influence of the Barnard Model. Researchers have consistently demonstrated important links between the quality of parent-child interaction, environmental influences, and child development outcomes. The Barnard Model is relevant with preterm infants because studies have reported that relatively simple interventions can be a powerful way of improving the quality of parent-child interaction as well as parent-child outcomes. The results have proven the effectiveness of the Barnard Model to suggest that it effectively describes child development within the context of the infant’s interaction with both the caregiver and the environment.

8. References
DeChesnay, M. & Anderson, B. (2012). Caring for the vulnerable (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: James & Bartlett Learning.