Psychological intervention programme developed at the UC shows positive impact on the relationship between youth and caregivers in residential care
Compassionate Mind Training for Caregivers has proven to be effective in enhancing the compassionate relationship between young people and caregivers (such as educators, psychologists and social workers).
Abridged version in English: Diana Taborda
A compassion-focused psychological intervention programme implemented in residential youth care homes in Portugal was found to be effective in improving compassionate relationships between youth and caregivers (educators, psychologists and social workers), increasing the emotional safety of children and young people, as well as supportive behaviours among staff.
Conducted by a research team from the University of Coimbra (UC), the study aimed to examine the effects of the Compassionate Mind Training for Caregivers (CMT-C) programme, developed at the UC, on the quality of the relationships between caregivers and youth and on the emotional climate of residential care, while promoting the quality of life of both youth and their caregivers.
“A warm, supportive and safe environment is essential for creating therapeutic environments and better outcomes in residential youth care, facilitating one-on-one psychological interventions offered to children and young people, and fostering the change in their perception of themselves, others and the world that they may have developed in the past”, highlights Laura Santos, researcher at the Centre for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention (CINEICC) of the UC Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPCEUC), clinical psychologist and first author of the study.
This is one of the conclusions of the research being conducted in the framework of the project "Affiliative mentality in youth residential care: Delivery and outcome studies of a compassionate mind training programme with caregivers", as part of Laura Santos' PhD studies, supervised by FPCEUC professors and CINEICC researchers Daniel Rijo and Maria do Rosário Pinheiro.
The cluster randomised trial in the scope of the project involved 127 professional caregivers and 154 youth from 12 Portuguese residential care homes. During the intervention, researchers used specific activities to work with caregivers in order to provide them with specific strategies on how to balance their own affect regulation systems and help youth to balance theirs, as well as insights into the functioning of the human mind in what concerns emotion regulation and compassion.
Laura Santos explains that "the changes in compassion reported by the caregivers were perceived by youth in the residential care homes, with a positive impact on their feeling of connection to others and on their perception of safety and affiliation in the emotional climate of the residential care home. When no training is offered, caregivers might tend to experience deterioration not only in compassionate motivation but also in the quality of work life and mental health, which can compromise the quality of care".
Santos further adds that “caregivers are key players in daily intervention in residential youth care homes. Caring for abused children with complex needs requires dedicated therapeutic care, not simple assistance. Problems related to lack of specialised training and high levels of work-related stress among professionals are potential threats to the quality of care in residential care."
The Compassionate Mind Training for Caregivers may be a useful programme in the specialised training of residential youth care staff, complementing - but not replacing - existing specialised interventions for children and young people (such as psychotherapy and counselling).
The scientific article "Fostering an affiliative environment in residential youth care: A cluster randomized trial of a compassionate mind training program for caregivers enrolling youth and their caregivers", published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect, is available here.