Examining the Impact of a Peer-Provided Psychoeducational Program for Parents: NAMI Basics

This study will evaluate a peer service program for caregivers of youth struggling with mental illness using a program developed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) called NAMI Basics. This peer service program for caregivers was adapted from their successful and empirically supported model for caregivers of adult children with mental illness (Family-to-Family). The child-focused intervention, NAMI Basics, is a six-class curriculum focused on increasing caregiver knowledge about mental illness, empowering parents to advocate for their children across service systems, and introducing skills that assist in family problem-solving and communication. It is available widely throughout the U.S. through certified trainers who volunteer with local NAMI affiliates and is provided free of charge to caregivers in a non-stigmatizing community setting (e.g., local school, church, community center). It is open to all caregivers, regardless of mental health diagnosis or time within a treatment system. Families may be just beginning to recognize their child has a mental health challenge or may have been involved in service systems for many years. The program has been fully translated into Spanish, as well, and can be provided by Spanish-speaking trainers in many communities (known as Bases y Fundamentos de NAMI). NAMI Basics offers an inexpensive, non-stigmatizing strategy to increase families' access to information, training, and support in caring for their child with behavioral health challenges. The program can serve as an adjunct to traditional services or as a stand-alone program. An initial pilot trial of NAMI Basics demonstrated pre-post increases in knowledge about youth mental illness and advocacy among a sample of 85 caregivers. A second study of 36 caregivers participating in NAMI Basics replicated and extended these results, demonstrating an increase in family empowerment and caregiver self-care, and reductions in inflammatory communication. However, more rigorous testing of the impact of the intervention, similar to that conducted with its "sister" program, needs to be conducted. In order to more rigorously test the promising NAMI Basics program, we propose a randomized effectiveness trial. Caregivers who are parenting youth with a mental illness (N = 175) referred to the NAMI Basics program through natural referral routes will be given the option to participate in the study, and if interested, randomly assigned to either an immediate NAMI Basics classes (Wave A) or an 8-week delay condition (Wave B), followed by initiation of the NAMI Basics class. The NAMI Basics classes will be studied within five local NAMI affiliates in Texas. As the NAMI Basics program is translated and provided in Spanish, both Spanish and English classes will be run and evaluated as part of this research study.