Parent–Infant Group Therapy to Interrupt Intergenerational Patterns of Abuse: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Resilient Roots
Intergenerational transmission of abuse and harsh parenting is among the most robust findings in developmental and clinical science. Yet transmission is not inevitable. Many caregivers with histories of trauma are highly motivated to parent differently—and still find that trauma-related distress, stress reactivity, and inherited beliefs about caregiving complicate their efforts. Interventions that focus narrowly on child behavior or dyadic skills often leave these upstream processes insufficiently addressed.
An MRI-funded project led by Drs. Adi Rosenthal and Maria-Ernestina Christl (University of Denver, Department of Psychology) directly targets this gap. Parent–Infant Group Therapy for Interrupting Intergenerational Patterns of Abuse: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Resilient Roots evaluates a trauma-informed, relationship-based intervention designed to reduce abuse risk by helping caregivers understand and work with their own histories, rather than attempting to parent “around” them.
The study evaluates Resilient Roots, a 10-session, manualized group intervention delivered at Thriving Families, a community-based nonprofit serving high-needs pregnant individuals and families with young children. The program is offered in English and Spanish, with 90-minute sessions that integrate psychoeducation, guided discussion, and structured workbook activities. Groups are co-led by two trained therapists and supported with concrete access accommodations—including childcare, transportation, and food—reflecting a deliberate effort to test the intervention without the interference from these common treatment barriers.
Conceptually, Resilient Roots is grounded in the premise that abuse risk is shaped not only by parenting skills, but by caregivers’ trauma-related appraisals, stress regulation, and beliefs about safety, power, and relationships. By explicitly linking trauma processing to concrete parenting and safety behaviors, the intervention aims to create space for caregivers to respond with intention rather than reenactment, particularly during moments of heightened stress.
The trial tests four interrelated aims: (1) whether participation reduces children’s risk of abuse by decreasing abuse potential, harsh parenting, and acceptance of family violence while increasing confidence in sexual abuse prevention; (2) whether the intervention improves the parent–child relationship by increasing closeness and positive appraisals and reducing conflict; (3) whether caregiver well-being improves through reductions in PTSD symptoms, maladaptive trauma-related beliefs (e.g., shame, self-blame, fear, anger), and parenting stress; and (4) whether the program demonstrates acceptability and feasibility in a high-risk, community-based setting.
Eighty caregivers enrolled at Thriving Families (ages 15 and older; English- or Spanish-speaking) are recruited through a flagship workshop and randomized to either immediate participation or a waitlist control that joins a later cohort. Participants complete baseline and post-intervention surveys via secure online links. Measures span multiple domains, including child abuse risk factors; harsh and abusive parenting behaviors; acceptance of family violence; parent–child closeness and conflict; trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms; trauma-related appraisals; and parenting stress.
Acceptability and feasibility are assessed using satisfaction ratings, open-ended feedback, and semi-structured focus groups. Qualitative data are analyzed using content analysis to identify themes related to perceived usefulness, barriers to attendance, and implementation challenges. Quantitative analyses follow an intent-to-treat framework, with baseline equivalence checks and models estimating condition-related change from baseline to follow-up. Fidelity, attendance, and engagement are tracked descriptively to contextualize outcomes.
If effective, the project lays groundwork for several critical next steps: testing telehealth delivery to expand reach, examining delivery by trained non-therapists to support scalability, and developing culturally responsive adaptations for diverse communities, including adolescent caregivers. Future work may also examine differential effects across caregiver subgroups—such as first-time parents versus those already parenting—and identify pathways for integration into clinics, hospitals, schools, and community agencies with implementation supports aligned to real-world constraints.
At its core, this work reframes abuse prevention as both a relational and a trauma-informed endeavor. By supporting caregivers in engaging with their own histories while strengthening early parent–child relationships, Resilient Roots contributes to a growing body of intervention science aimed not only at reducing risk, but at altering the conditions under which safer, more connected parenting becomes possible—across generations.