Research

It really works! And the RCT is published which confirms previous research results.

The effectiveness and impact of the Solihull Approach has been the subject of research since 2001 when the first evaluation was carried out. Many evaluations have been carried out since, both quantitative and qualitative, creating a rich picture of why it works as well as showing that it does work. The random controlled trial (RCT) is published and reflects the results from previous research. We are interested in encouraging areas around the UK to carry out their own research, as some do already. It is hard work on top of the day job, but worth it for your own management reports and adds to the evidence base. Contact us if you’d like to be put in touch with someone researching on your topic. They may be able to advise on measures and also on free measures as you will be on a tight budget.

(Douglas, H. and Ginty, M. (2001) The Solihull Approach: changes in health visiting practice. Community Practitioner, 74(6), 222-224)

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The first research showed that parents’ anxiety about their children decreased significantly and the severity of problems also decreased.

(Douglas, H., Brennan, A. 2004 Containment, Reciprocity and behaviour management: preliminary evaluation of a brief early intervention (the Solihull Approach) for families with infants and young children. International Journal of Infant Observation, 7: 1, 89-107) 

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This finding was replicated in 2006. A quantitative study of the effectiveness of the Solihull Approach in 2006 showed a significant decrease in distress, and parental perception of child difficulty and a reduction on overall stresses levels.

(Milford, R., Kleve, L., Lea, J., Greenwood, R. 2006 A pilot evaluation study of the Solihull Approach. Community Practitioner, 79: 11, 358-362)

Research into the effectiveness of the Solihull Approach ‘Understanding your child’s behaviour’ course showed improvement in child behaviour and a reduction in parental stress.

(Bateson, K., Delaney, J., Pybus, R. 2008 Meeting expectations: the pilot evaluation of the Solihull Approach parenting group. Community Practitioner, 81: 5, 28-31)

An evaluation of the views of over 200 parents who have taken part in the ‘Understanding your child’s behaviour’ course showed that 95% of parents found the course highly satisfactory. Parents increased their knowledge of strategies and solutions for responding to children’s behaviour, they improved their interactions with their children and were better able to recognise and respond to their own and their children’s feelings.

(Johnson, R., Wilson, H. 2012 Parents’ evaluation of understanding your child’s behaviour, a parenting group based on the Solihull Approach. Community Practitioner, 85: 5, 29-33.)

An evaluation of the experience of 105 parents who completed the ‘Understanding Your Child’s Behaviour’ course showed that over 90% of parents found the group helped them understand their child and identify changes. Recurring themes were that they had a better relationship with their child after taking part and they felt more confident.

(Appleton, R., Douglas, H., Rheeston, M. 2016 Taking part in ‘Understanding Your Child’s Behaviour’ and positive changes for parents, Community Practitioner, 89: 2, 42-48.)

Quantitative statistical analysis found that six months after the Solihull Approach Whole School training, teachers in School A showed a statistically significant increase in satisfaction with their helping role, self-esteem, and teacher efficacy scores as well as a decrease in feeling burnt out/stressed. The teachers at School B who did not receive the training only showed an improvement in teacher efficacy over the period

(Hassett, A. and Appleton, R. (2016) Understanding your pupil’s behaviour: a pilot study from two primary schools in Kent. Research Report.)

The findings of a study exploring the use of the Solihull Approach in breastfeeding support groups from the perspective of breastfeeding mothers. The Solihull Approach helps to create safe spaces and helped ensure tailored informational and emotional support which sustained the mothers attendance to the group.

(Monique, Tan., Rheeston, M and Douglas, H. (2017) Using the Solihull Approach in breastfeeding support groups: Maternal perceptions. British Journal of Midwifery 25(12), pp 765-773.)

An RCT on the course for parents ‘Understanding your child’s behaviour’. Three self-report measures were used at two time-points – pre- and post-intervention – measuring child behaviour, parental emotional health and child-parent relationship.
Participants’ responses in the intervention group were compared with waiting-list controls, after controlling for pre-test scores, by analysis of covariance, as per protocol. The results show that, compared with not attending, attendance at the Solihull Approach group resulted in improvements in: child prosocial behaviour and conduct problems; parental anxiety and stress, and the parent-child relationship (increase in closeness, decrease in conflict), in a cohort that can be considered characteristic of the UK population in terms of ethnicity and those typically attending such groups (majority female). Furthermore, the impact on closeness in the parent-child relationship and parental stress showed highly statistically significant results, with a 99.995% probability that these could not have occurred by chance.

(Douglas, H. and Johnson, R. (2019). The Solihull Approach 10-week programme: a randomised controlled trial. Community Practitioner, 9 (7), 45-47.)

There have been more research articles published Download Here whilst many more are in the prepublication phase.

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Additional references:

Jane Barlow and P.O. Svanberg (Eds) Keeping the Baby in Mind: Infant Mental Health in Practice includes a chapter called ‘The Solihull Approach: An integrative model across agencies.’ by Hazel Douglas and Mary Rheeston.

Hazel Douglas – Containment and Reciprocity: integrating psychoanalytic theory and child development research for work with children