title: Can social networking be used to promote engagement in child maltreatment prevention programs? Two pilot studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Child maltreatment is one of the United States' most significant public health problems. In efforts to prevent maltreatment experts recommend use of Behavioral Parent Training Programs (BPTs), which focus on teaching skills that will replace and prevent maltreating behavior. While there is research to support the effectiveness of BPTs in maltreatment prevention, the reach of such programs is still limited by several barriers, including poor retention of families in services. Recently, new technologies have emerged that offer innovative opportunities to improve family engagement. These technologies include smartphones and social networking; however, very little is known about the potential of these to aid in maltreatment prevention. The primary goal of this study was to conduct 2 pilot exploratory projects.
  
  
  METHODS
  The first project administered a survey to parents and providers to gather data about at-risk parents' use of smartphones and online social networking technologies. The second project tested a social networking-enhanced brief parenting program with 3 intervention participants and evaluated parental responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-five percent of parents surveyed reported owning a computer that worked. Eighty-nine percent of parents reported that they had reliable Internet access at home, and 67% said they used the Internet daily. Three parents participated in the intervention with all reporting improvement in parent-child interaction skills and a positive experience participating in the social networking-enhanced SafeCare components.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In general, findings suggest that smartphones, social networking, and Facebook, in particular, are now being used by individuals who show risk factors for maltreatment. Further, the majority of parents surveyed in this study said that they like Facebook, and all parents surveyed said that they use Facebook and have a Facebook account. As well, all saw it as a potentially beneficial supplement for future parents enrolling in parenting programs.
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University, School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Edwards-Gaura
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University, School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Whitaker
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University, School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Self-Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003201:Computers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D061108:Social Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology