Efficacy and Feasibility of a Tele-mental Health Intervention to Support Parents Caring for a Technology-dependent Child at Home

The need for assisted-technology at home reflects some of the most serious health-related conditions faced by children with physical and developmental disabilities. 'Technology-dependent' is often used in the literature to describe children "who need both a medical device to compensate for the loss of a vital body function and substantial and ongoing nursing care to avert death or further disability". Parenting a child is stressful and challenging, and even under ideal circumstances the care of a child with complex needs requires greater than normal parenting skills. Studies have showed that parents of children whose illness require assisted-technology experience significant emotional stress, potential gaps in social support, and social isolation leading to lower quality of life, unhealthy family functioning, and negative psychological consequences.

This study intends to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a tele-psychotherapy (Tele-P) intervention as a way to promote the emotional functioning of parents and to help increase the quality of life of children that are technology-dependent in the Greater Boston Area. It is hypothesized that parents who adhere to psychotherapy sessions via videoconferencing (Tele-P) will demonstrate significant reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety and social isolation. Children of parents in the (Tele-P) condition will show significantly greater improvements in their quality of life including their physical health, mental health, family life, free time, and general life enjoyment.

A randomized controlled trial is proposed in order to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a tele-psychotherapy intervention for parents of technology-dependent children at the Critical Care, Anesthesia and Perioperative Extension (CAPE) program in Boston Children's Hospital.

This study will serve as model for social workers to perform an intervention for parent's raising technology-dependent children. This study proposes that tele-psychotherapy be a means of advocating for this underserved population.