["I Didn't Think I would be Put under Pressure Like That." Supporting and Inhibiting Factors on Access Paths to Early Prevention Programs from Parents' View]. / "So unter Druck gesetzt zu werden, das hab' ich nicht gedacht." Fördernde und hemmende Einflüsse auf Zugangswege zu den Frühen Hilfen aus Sicht der Eltern.

BACKGROUND: The German early prevention programs called "Frühe Hilfen" are open to all families with children up to 3 years old and focus on families experiencing psychosocial stress and in need of support. Families with strong psychosocial risk factors are less likely to gain access to support programs than families with lower psychosocial risk factors. OBJECTIVE: This study identifies enabling and inhibiting factors for access to early prevention programs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Qualitative partially structured interviews were carried out with parents (N=17) from families (N=13) who had taken part in psychosocial counseling after a professional had identified support needs and recommended an early prevention program. The interviews were transcribed and interpreted using content analysis according to Mayring. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Parents find clear and trustworthy communication during counseling sessions to be conducive to finding access to support programs. A barrier emerges when parents feel put under pressure or do not feel a need for support. Counseling should be offered at different points in time (e. g. pregnancy, puerperium). CONCLUSION: Open, trusting, and judgement-free communication in combination with participative decisionmaking is a promising approach when it comes to parent counseling.