As Florida prevention leaders gather for the 2026 Florida Prevention Convention, mental health expert Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge is advocating for a shift in how the state supports families by addressing parental stress before it reaches a breaking point.
The convention, themed Stronger Families, Stronger Florida, will feature Capanna-Hodge discussing early intervention and child abuse prevention strategies. Her message focuses on the necessity of providing parents with practical tools to manage daily stressors to prevent them from escalating into full-scale crises.
The need for such intervention is supported by data from the American Psychological Association, which found that 48% of parents report feeling completely overwhelmed by stress on most days. Furthermore, 41% of parents indicated that their stress levels are so high they are unable to function. These statistics contributed to a national advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General, which classified parental well-being as a critical public health priority.
Capanna-Hodge is highlighting the phenomenon where a child’s emotional dysregulation triggers a stress response in the parent, creating a cycle of heightened tension. To address this, she utilizes a framework called Regulation First, which teaches parents and professionals to prioritize nervous system regulation. The method suggests that parents should aim to regulate their own responses and reconnect with their child before attempting to implement corrections or problem-solving.
This approach aligns with the work of various Florida-based organizations, such as the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida and Healthy Families Florida. These entities focus on upstream prevention, which involves strengthening family units and providing education to mitigate the need for intensive, reactive interventions later.
Modern parenting challenges include financial pressure, work demands, sleep deprivation, and the mental load of managing household responsibilities. Capanna-Hodge notes that supporting the mental health of parents is inherently linked to the mental health of their children, as a regulated parent is better equipped to handle a child’s behavioral needs.
With over three decades of experience working with children experiencing ADHD, anxiety, and other neurodevelopmental conditions, Capanna-Hodge has observed that traditional methods like rewards or consequences often fail when a child is in a state of high stress. Her work emphasizes that understanding the biological drivers of behavior is essential for effective parenting and long-term family stability.
