Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul;53(5):e70020.
doi: 10.1002/jcop.70020.

Implementation Fidelity of a Virtual Adaptation of the Guiding Good Choices Program

Kristi M Morrison  1 , Nicole Eisenberg  1 , Vivian H Lyons  1 , Stacy A Sterling  2   3 , Arne Beck  4 , Jordan M Braciszewski  5 , Dalene Beaulieu  1 , Jennifer Boggs  4 , John S Briney  1 , Sarah Danzo  6 , Kevin P Haggerty  1 , Andrew Jessen  4 , Andrea Kline-Simon  2 , Amy M Loree  5 , Erica Morse  4 , Hannah Scheuer  1 , Xu Wang  5 , Margaret R Kuklinski  1
Affiliations

Implementation Fidelity of a Virtual Adaptation of the Guiding Good Choices Program

Kristi M Morrison et al. J Community Psychol. 2025 Jul.

Abstract

Offering evidence-based parenting interventions to caregivers virtually has the potential to increase the reach and public health impact of interventions. As virtual adaptations to evidence-based interventions increase, attention must be paid to implementation fidelity, as high fidelity is associated with better program outcomes. This study examined implementation fidelity of a virtual adaptation of the family-based Guiding Good Choices program delivered to 292 families in primary care in three large healthcare systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendance, dosage, adherence, quality of delivery, and participant engagement were examined quantitatively and qualitatively using interventionist and observer surveys, attendance records, and focus groups with interventionists. Interventionists and observers reported high levels of dosage, adherence, quality of delivery, and participant engagement, but attendance was lower than anticipated. Results suggest that delivering parenting programs virtually in primary care with high fidelity is feasible, but retaining participants may remain challenging in this modality, particularly during a global pandemic.

Keywords: Guiding Good Choices; implementation fidelity; internet adaptation; parenting program; prevention; virtual delivery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Kevin Haggerty has had a long academic relationship with Guiding Good Choices (GGC) and continues to be interested in the implementation of GGC on a broad scale. Margaret Kuklinski has been studying the implementation and effectiveness of GGC for a long time and continues to be interested in its broad implementation. Nicole Eisenberg and Dalene Beaulieu have studied GGC implementation, are GGC trainers, and are interested in the program’s continued implementation. The other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Adams EL, Smith D, Caccavale LJ, & Bean MK (2021). Parents are stressed! Patterns of parent stress across COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 626456. 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.626456 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Allen ML, Garcia-Huidobro D, Porta C, Curran D, Patel R, Miller J, & Borowsky I (2016). Effective parenting interventions to reduce youth substance use: A systematic review. Pediatrics, 138(2), e20154425. 10.1542/peds.2015-4425 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baker CN, Arnold DH, & Meagher S (2011). Enrollment and attendance in a parent training prevention program for conduct problems. Prevention Science, 12(2), 126–138. 10.1007/s11121-010-0187-0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bartik AW, Cullen ZB, Glaeser EL, Luca M, & Stanton CT (2020, June). What jobs are being done at home during the COVID-19 crisis? Evidence from firm-level surveys (Working Paper 27422). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w27422
    1. Begle AM, & Dumas JE (2011). Child and parental outcomes following involvement in a preventive intervention: Efficacy of the PACE program. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 32(2), 67–81. 10.1007/s10935-010-0232-6 - DOI - PMC - PubMed