Parenting for Lifelong Health Philippines showcases success of MaPa Program at international conference

Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia - August 10, 2023 - Members of the Parenting for Lifelong Health Philippines research team recently presented their findings on the successful delivery of the Masayang Pamilya para sa Batang Pilipino Program (MaPa Program) during the 15th International Conference on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (ICCAP). The conference, held from August 7th to 9th, 2023, offered a platform to share insights and collaborate with experts in the field of child and adolescent mental health.

"We saw it as an excellent opportunity to share the findings from our trials of the MaPa Program delivered via various modes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The delivery was brought about by the increased need for caregiver support due to pandemic-related stress, job loss, and school and work shutdown. We also saw ICCAP as a good venue to learn about the intervention work of other groups, particularly those in Asia," says the team.

The research was well received by the symposium's attendees. Many questions centered on participant engagement, particularly in the context of MaPaChat, where participants could not see their facilitators. The discussion around participant engagement emphasised the shared challenges among program implementers. The team shared strategies they had developed to maintain engagement, including phone calls to participants before chat sessions to establish rapport and understand their goals, as well as the use of various materials to sustain interest.

Looking to the future, the MaPa Program envisions expanding its reach through partnerships with government and non-government organizations, as well as educational institutions to train more facilitators. The program aims to revise existing modules to adapt to changing times and improve their relevance to target users.