Efficacy of a Resourcefulness Intervention to Enhance the Physical and Mental Health of Parents Caring for Technology-dependent Children at Home: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Attrition was high: 62 intervention parents completed through 9 months, 100 were randomized to intervention, 10 control parents withdrew and 20 were lost to follow-up. Baseline outcomes differed between arms despite randomization, including higher depressive cognitions in the intervention group (p=0.021), which complicates interpretation even after adjustment. 65% of participants were enrolled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and pandemic-related stressors and inability to use some resourcefulness skills were not measured. Hair cortisol data were incomplete and variable: 279 samples were collected, 9 could not be analyzed because of inadequate hair, and collection changed to self-collection during the pandemic. The sample came from one U.S. region and was mostly non-Hispanic White, so it may not generalize. The intervention was a package of video instruction, daily logs, calls and boosters, so the study cannot show which component mattered. The control group received phone calls, so the effect is compared with extra attention plus usual care, not no contact.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The article is tagged as NIH extramural research support.

Do not conclude that Resourcefulness Training prevents depression or improves all health outcomes. The primary outcomes were mixed: depressive symptoms, burden and mental health-related quality of life did not differ at 9 months. Also, the intervention was delivered as a package of video instruction, daily logs, calls and boosters, so no single component can be credited.