The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Georgia State University, 140 Decatur St., Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
Child Abuse Negl. 2021 Jan;111:104772. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104772. Epub 2020 Nov 4.
Preventing child maltreatment is a global mission of numerous international organizations, with parent support programs as the critical prevention strategy. In Kenya, 70 % of children are at risk of experiencing abuse and neglect, most often by their parents. Yet, there is a lack of evidence-based parent support programs, and a limited understanding of Kenya's capacity and infrastructures (e.g., policies, funding, service agencies) to support and sustain such programs.
The purpose of this study was to assess systematically Kenya's strengths and limitations to implement a parent support program using a mixed-methods study design.
Twenty-one community stakeholders from Kenya completed the World Health Organization's (WHO) Readiness Assessment for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment to understand Kenya's preparedness to undertake a prevention program. In addition, 91 participants (e.g., parents, community health workers, community leaders) took part in focus group discussions or individual interviews to understand existing support networks around parenting programs.
Kenya's overall 'readiness' score was comparable to the other countries that completed the WHO survey. The survey results revealed Kenya's strengths and limitations across the ten readiness dimensions. Several themes emerged from the focus groups and interviews, including the diverse sources of support for parents, specific programs available for parents, and gaps in services offered.
The results document ways to build upon Kenyan's existing strengths to facilitate implementation of an evidence-based prevention program. These results also highlight the significant need to understand local context when adapting parenting programs for low/middle income countries (LMICs).
预防儿童虐待是众多国际组织的全球使命，父母支持计划是关键的预防策略。在肯尼亚，70%的儿童面临遭受虐待和忽视的风险，而这些虐待和忽视大多来自他们的父母。然而，肯尼亚缺乏基于证据的父母支持计划，并且对肯尼亚支持和维持此类计划的能力和基础设施（如政策、资金、服务机构）的了解有限。
本研究旨在使用混合方法研究设计系统评估肯尼亚实施父母支持计划的优势和局限性。
来自肯尼亚的 21 位社区利益相关者完成了世界卫生组织（WHO）的儿童虐待预防准备情况评估，以了解肯尼亚开展预防计划的准备情况。此外，91 名参与者（例如父母、社区卫生工作者、社区领袖）参加了焦点小组讨论或个人访谈，以了解围绕育儿计划的现有支持网络。
肯尼亚的总体“准备”得分与完成 WHO 调查的其他国家相当。调查结果揭示了肯尼亚在十个准备维度上的优势和局限性。焦点小组和访谈中出现了几个主题，包括父母的多种支持来源、为父母提供的具体计划以及提供服务方面的差距。
这些结果记录了利用肯尼亚现有优势为实施循证预防计划提供便利的方法。这些结果还突出表明，在为低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）改编育儿计划时，了解当地情况的重要性。
