Kathryn barnard theory

Running head: THE PARENT-CHILD INTERACTION MODEL !1

The Parent-Child Interaction Model

Student Name

Florida National University

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Abstract

The present paper provides an analytical review of Kathryn E. Barnard’s parent-child

interaction model. The purpose is to define the main concepts of the discussed theory and

identify its connection to the author’s credentials. Moreover, the goal is to explore

applicability of the parent-child model within maternal health care setting by defining its

contribution to the research and practice in nursing. The given analysis bases on the recent

studies that provide conceptual insights developed by Barnard. In particular, this paper

discusses the applicability of Barnard’s Feeding Scale. Moreover, it derives examples from

studies of mother-child interactions at early childhood under stressful conditions of the

repetitive separation and reunion. In addition, the paper provides examples obtained from a

study that focuses on adapting to environmental factors while developing maternal identity. It

is detected that Barnard’s parent-child interaction model has considerable implacability for in

the planes of research and practice.

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Key words: Barnard’s parent-child interaction model, adaptation, maternal identity, Barnard’s

Feeding Scale, maternal healthcare.

The Parent-Child Interaction Model

Introduction

Kathryn E. Barnard was the person who developed the parent-child interaction model

in 1978. This model emerged as a result of Barnard’s scholarly and practical performance. In

other words, this scholar had strong credentials in the field of early child development.

Specifically, Barnard has received her master’s degree in nursing along with the certificate of

Advanced Graduate Specialization in Nursing Education (Masters, 2015).This was the first

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step to becoming a teacher of nursing. After graduation, Barnard became a teacher of

maternal healthcare. To be more precise, she specialized in child and mother healthcare.

The parent-child interaction model suggests the three planes: a child, a mother, and

the environment; beginning from the woman’s pregnancy, these three fields overlap and

influence one another. In order to ensure successful interaction within these overlapping

circles, mother needs to modify constantly her mentality to meet and cope with the changes

and challenges of the other planes. The same refers to a child: the process of development

means the need for constant adjustment and re-adjustment (adaptation) to external stimuli.

Simultaneously with the development of a child’s psyche, it is necessary to adjust his or her

internal stimuli to the external factors. However, this process is ongoing and highly volatile

due to constant accommodation to the variables that alter within the time.

Reviewing parent-child-environment interactions, one should stress that the plane

‘parent’ refers to a concept of a caregiver in general. In other words, there are cases, when

interactions between a child, environment, and a parent include a father or other significant

person as the main care-giver. Hence, it is clear that in the prevailing majority of cases, this

model implies interaction between a child and a mother. According to the discussed theory,

the interaction of these three systems depends on the unique characteristics of each plane. To

be more precise, Kathryn E. Barnard educates that the main characteristics of a child “include

physical appearance, temperament, feeding and sleeping patterns, and self-

regulation” (Masters, 2015, p. 274). At the same time, the important assets of a care-giver

include a range of bio-psycho-social qualities that are being constantly changed to adapt to a

child’s needs and environmental factors, simultaneously causing a child’s system to

accommodate accordingly.

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Finally, the environmental factors include socio-economic factors (financial well-

being, social roles, educational healthcare establishments, religion, politics, cultural events,

etc.). The role of a nurse is to help a mother set realistic expectations, develop a positive

maternal identity, and connect to benevolent environmental factors. This complex purpose

prepares favorable conditions for healthy child’s development and growth, provides a care-

giver with pleasure from parental interactions, and delivers healthy members to social

environment.

Relevance

Personal Relevance

Striving to continue ongoing improvement of professional skills, this scholar headed a

research project that was aimed to develop the method of assessment of early childhood

development and well-being. In overall, Barnard participated in 22 scientific studies

(Masters, 2015). Further, she would become a professor in child-parent nursing. Scholarly

activity strongly related to collecting practical evidence. In particular, the scholar provided

consultations, conducted public lectures, and released a number of academic publications that

related to the maternal healthcare and early child development (Masters, 2015). In addition,

she was working with mentally impaired children, which resulted in gaining considerable

experience from delivering patient-centered care. Barnard acquired enough first-hand

evidence to make an assumption about the importance of child-mother-environment

interactions (Masters, 2015). Further, that assumption turned into conceptual patterns that

took a place in the field of nurse science as the theory of parent-child interaction.

Relevance to Healthcare and the Client Discussed

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The name of the theory itself implies the population that Barnard addressed. The

parent-child interaction model functions to deliver patient-centered and evidence-based

maternal health care as well as ensures that early child development occurs at a normal rate in

positive conditions. In order to provide a particular example showing how this scientific

theory serves the purpose of collecting the new evidence about mother-child interactions, and

according to these observations, increases the quality of maternal healthcare, one should refer

to the Barnard’s Feeding Scale (BFS). Beel-Bates et al. (2012) conducted a study that aimed

at tracking mealtime interactions between a care-giver and a child. To measure the level of

development of maternal identity and its relevance to the stage of a child’s growth, the

scholars applied to the Barnard’s Feeding Scale.

BFS is a tool that was elaborated to collect evidence about caregivers’ verbal and non-

verbal responses to a child’s mealtime behavioral patterns. For example, these reactions

include facial mimics, gestures, posture, language, and signs that a care-giver performs while

feeding a child. Beel-Bates et al. (2012) assume that it is possible to interpret the reactions as

the indicators of the internal elements in a parent’s system. Thus, obtaining this data is

essential for understanding the patterns of interaction between a mother and a child.

Applying to the parent-child interaction model, BFS can be useful for learning the

system of a mother. One may utilize this knowledge in order to make several important

assumptions. Firstly, it indicates to which extent the maternal identity is evolved. Secondly,

“parent–child interaction has been found to be a bidirectional system where both partners are

shaped by each other’s state and signals” Guo et al. (2015, p. 258). Thus, this data suggests

the kind of impact, which a child’s system makes on a care-giver. Thirdly, this information

helps making an approximate prognosis about the future development of parent-child

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interactions. Consequently, BFS is a valuable instrument that is important in anticipating

potential health problems related to the defects of a care-giver’s adaption to the

environmental circumstances and the needs of a child. Moreover, it is possible to mitigate

already existing issues. In this regard, one can use the theory of parent-child interaction as a

theoretical background to create the new conceptual patterns in accordance with the evidence

obtained while utilizing BFS. This example illustrates the significance of Barnard’s parent-

child interaction model and its appropriateness to nursing, in particular, in a maternal

healthcare setting.

Application to Research and Practice

It is possible to characterize Kathryn E. Barnard’s parent-child interaction model by

great implacability. One example is the study of meal-time interactions between a child and a

care-giver conducted by Beel-Bates et al (2012), which was depicted below. Another example

of implacability is the research of Guo et al. (2015) who studied positive and negative

interactions between a mother and a child in stressful situations. In early childhood,

separation from the main care-giver is an extremely stressful event. The same concerns the

process of reuniting, especially when one of the participants reacts with the hostility,

rejection, or indifference (Guo et al., 2015). Utilizing parent-child model as a background, the

researchers identified that long and frequent separations between a mother and a child

resulted in the disrupted concept of parenting. In addition, such inconsistency in the

availability of the attachment figure stipulated the development of coping mechanisms in a

child that might have negative implications if being applied to other individuals. Moreover,

such interactions strengthened the feeling of insecurity, which had a negative impact on a

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child’s self-concept. These examples illustrate applicability of the discussed theory to the

research.

It is possible to depict the applicability of a parent-child interaction model to practice

referring to the study by Vallotton (2012). Valloton explored the impact of environment on

the parent-child interactions. The study reveals that socio-economic position is linked to the

quality of mother-child communication. In particular, it affects maternal identity, which

forces a child to adapt to the mother’s attempts of adjusting her inner disturbance to the

environmental factors and child’s characteristics. Vallotton (2012) educates that the care-

givers who belong to vulnerable population (the poor) perform less verbal and non-verbal

communication with offspring. This fact may result in the retarded development of children,

predefine emergence of cognitive and emotional issues, deteriorate relations between a child

and care-givers, as well as between a child and the society.

This research complements the study of a parent’s verbal and non-verbal responses

during the process of feeding a child because it adds the variable of the environment system

to the studied interactions between a child’s and a care-giver’s systems. In practice, the

healthcare professionals utilize this insight to detect the risk group for acquiring defecting

parental identities and apply them to preventive care by conducting educational intervention.

For example, to encourage richer positive emotional expression, a nurse may perform

inspirational conversations with a mother. In this way, implementing the parent-child

interaction model can help a client gain parental identity, which will also have a positive

impact on a child.

Summary

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Strengths

The strength of the parent-child interaction model is that it is in compliance with the

today’s patient-centered approach of delivering care. Specifically, it is focuses significantly

on the targeted population, namely maternal health-care (care-givers’ and children’s bio-

psycho-social well-being at early stages of development (up to three years)). Moreover, this

theory is clear and concise (Masters, 2015). Thus, Barnard’s model is easy to comprehend

and adapt to the daily nurse practicing. According to the information provided in this paper,

this theory is characterized by high implacability both in research and practice.

Limitations

Despite a good focus on maternal healthcare, it is difficult to decide whether this

theory is workable in other strongly related settings. The parent-child model focuses on

“child-mother-environment interactive process” (Masters, 2015, p. 275). The name of theory

and assigned purpose lead to a confusion regarding the population, to which it can be

generalized. In particular, it is dubious if this model is applicable to a father, or other

significant person who maintains a role of the main care-giver. In case it is possible, one may

assume that there are differences in attitudes and interactions. Thus, preventive interventions

should differ from those applied to the mother-child interactions.

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References

Beel-Bates, C., Stephenson, P. L., Nochera, C. L., & Rogers, J., F. (2012). Caregiver-resident

interaction with Barnard's feeding scale. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 5(4),

284-93.

Guo,Y., Szu-Yun Leu, S., Barnard, K. E., Thompson, E. A., & Spieker, S. J. (2015). An

examination of changes in emotion co-regulation among mother and child dyads

during the strange situation. Infant and Child Development, 24, 256-273.

Masters, K. (2015). Nursing theories: A framework for professional practice (2nd ed.).

Massachusetts, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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Vallotton, C. D. (2012). Infant signs as intervention? Promoting symbolic gestures for

preverbal children in low-income families supports responsive parent–child

relationships. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27, 401– 415.