The current research aims to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of the Strong Families Through Art Therapy (SFAT) programme, which was developed to improve the parent-child relationship in vulnerable families. The main questions it aims to answer are:
1. Is the programme effective in enhancing quality of life and family resilience among parents? 2. Is the programme effective in enhancing quality of life among children? 3. Is the programme feasible and acceptable for large scale implementation in Singapore?
Researchers will compare the status of family participants (caregivers and children) before and after they take the programme and compare family participants who take the programme with family participants who have not yet taken the programme to see if the programme is effective in benefiting the participants. Researchers will also invite family participants to discuss about the programme.
Family participants will
1. Take the 10-week SFAT programme 2. Complete assessment survey for 3 times 3. Attend a focus group discussion (optional)
To assess the programme feasibility, researchers will additional invite art therapist participants to evaluate the programme and invite community staff participants to discuss about the programme implementation.
Art therapist participants will complete programme and session evaluation reports.
Community staff participants will attend a focus group discussion.
the caregiver (including parents, grandparents, family members or foster parents who perform the main caretaking responsibilities of the children taking part in SFAT) of a young child who can communicate in English and provide informed consent
the child is aged 7-14 years and can communicate in English
the family have one or more of the following identified challenges: (1) caregiver stress such as finances, household management, work and childcare arrangements, (2) caregiver struggles to find time for self-care and quality time with children, (3) caregiver has minimal understanding of the psychological and emotional needs of their children, (4) children face difficulties with emotional regulation and anger management
caregivers and children are from low-income families who receive financial assistance under the CHAS Blue card, ComCare financial assistance, and/or the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme
individuals who are suffering from depression or other major mental health conditions that would render their participation highly disruptive to others in a group setting, and/or cannot provide informed consent. Families will also be excluded if they are currently unstable (i.e. circumstances related to abuse/neglect), and/or have high risk of suicidal and self-harm behaviours. In the cases that individuals referred to the programme are not eligible, the partner organisations will assess their needs and refer them to programmes based on these needs.
participant is unable to provide informed consent
Parallel
dyadic art therapy intervention for parent-child relationship in vulnerable families
BehavioralThe Stronger Families Through Art Therapy (SFAT) is a dyadic art therapy intervention developed to improve the parent-child relationship in vulnerable families. Service users of the SFAT programme will receive a progressive support from workshops, dyad art therapy, and an innovative art-based self-care tool developed with a multidisciplinary team to meet the needs of enhancing family communication and strengthening emotional bonding.
Self-rated quality of life for caregiver participants
The primary outcome will be assessed by the World Health Organization Quality of life Brief Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) \[WHO, 1997\]. The WHOQOL-BREF comprises 26-items rated on a 5-point Likert scale and clustered into the four subscales of physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environmental health. The WHOQOL-BREF possesses strong internal validity, reliability, and cross-cultural applicability.
Self-rated quality of life for child participants
The primary outcome will be assessed by the KIDSCREEN-30 tool \[Ravens-Sieberer, U., et al., 2013\]. The KIDSCREEN-30 comprises of 30 items rated on a 4-point visual Likert scale and clustered into the 8 domains of physical wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, moods and emotions, autonomy and parent relation, financial resources, social support and peers, school environment and social acceptance. KIDSCREEN30 possesses strong internal validity, reliability, and cross-cultural applicability.
Self-rated family resilience for caregiver participants
The secondary outcome will be assessed by the Walsh Family Resilience Questionnaire (WFRQ) \[Walsh, 2016\]. The WFRQ comprises 32 items rated on a 5- point Likert Scale and clustered into the 3 subscales of belief systems, organisational pattens, and communication/problem solving. The WFRQ possesses strong internal validity, reliability, and cross-cultural applicability
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Nanyang Technological University
Lead sponsor
The Red Pencil Singapore
Collaborator
National Council Of Social Service, Singapore
Collaborator
The Majurity Trust
Collaborator
