Community-Based Conscious Discipline Program in Grenada

Windward Islands Research and Education Foundation

Status: Completed

Conditions: Behavior, Child; Development, Child; Neurocognition, Child

Treatments: Behavioral: Conscious Discipline-Based Environmental Enrichment Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04697134

SGUSavingBrainsI

Details and patient eligibility

About

To improve neurocognitive outcomes in 2-year-old children by implementing a community-based intervention program that follows the principles of Conscious Discipline.

Full description

We aimed to introduce Conscious Discipline (CD) in Grenada as a means of improving neurodevelopment in 2-year-old children. The CD intervention promotes improved social-emotional connections between parents/guardians and children that reduces harsh discipline and corporal punishment and provides an ideal environment for the development of higher cognitive functioning (e.g. working memory, inhibition, emotional regulation).

The intervention is implemented by using a distributed local, train-the-trainer model in partnership with the Grenada Roving Caregiver Program, managed by GRENCASE. CD training was provided to 85 existing Roving Caregivers, 70 of whom were certified as Conscious Discipline Paraprofessionals (CDPPs). Certified CDPPs traveled out to communities and villages throughout Grenada, to impart knowledge and skills to new and expecting parents.

Following the intervention, parents who received CD training were assessed in their ability to implement CD skills with their child(ren). Neurocognition was assessed in children post-intervention using the INTERGROWTH 21st Neurodevelopmental Assessment (INTERNDA). Neurocognitive outcomes were compared between the intervention arm and the waitlist control arm of the study.

Enrollment: 333 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 22 to 30 months old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Participants actively enrolled in the Roving Caregiver Program (0-2-year-olds living with parents in at-risk communities served by the RCP)

Exclusion criteria

• Not enrolled in the Roving Caregiver Program

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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333 participants in 2 patient groups

Conscious Discipline Intervention Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group received one-on-one Conscious Discipline classes with a Roving Caregiver. These classes consisted of the dissemination of Conscious Discipline Skills and fun songs, games, and activities to foster connections between the infant and caregiver. Both the infant and caregiver received the intervention simultaneously.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Conscious Discipline-Based Environmental Enrichment Intervention

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in this group did not receive the intervention.