Objective: Few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have explored the implementation and impact of early childhood parenting education programs in very fragile contexts and humanitarian settings. We tested the effects of a group-based intervention, the MotherÀChild Education Program (MOCEP), on parenting stress and practices among two refugee communities and one other marginalized community in Beirut, Lebanon. Method: A pilot wait-list RCT was conducted to assess the program's impact on maternal, child (average age: 4 years), and dyadic outcomes. A total of 106 motherÀchild dyads were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n ¼ 53) or the wait-list control group (n ¼ 53). Analysis was conducted by modified intention-to-treat and supplemental analyses through multiple imputation of missing post-intervention data. Results: Forty families (38%) withdrew early from the study. After completing the program, mothers in the intervention group showed a reduction in their harsh parenting practices, as indexed by the Disciplinary Style Questionnaire (Cohen's d ¼ À0.76, 95% CI ¼ À1.24, À0.27) and in their level of parenting stress, as indexed by the Parenting Stress IndexÀShort Form (PSI-SF; Cohen's d ¼ À0.90, 95% CI ¼ À1.39, À0.40). Exploratory but underpowered analyses of dyadic interactions revealed reductions in the PSI were associated with a reduction in harsh parenting after the intervention. However, we did not detect any positive impact on behavioral or emotional outcomes among the children. Conclusion: Our analyses suggest that MOCEP had a positive impact on disciplinary practices and parenting stress in a context of high fragility, but that broader effects on maternal and child outcomes may be dependent on program attendance and the availability of other services. We discuss implications of this pilot study for practice and research of a largely unexplored area of program evaluation. Clinical trial registration information: Mother and Child Education Program in Palestinian Refugee Camps; https://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT02402556.

Elena L. Grigorenko, and was reviewed by two anonymous referees following normal peerreview process. Targeted commentaries and responses to this piece of no more than 4,000 words are welcomed and will be considered for publication in the yearly "Directions" issue of NDCAD.

Aggressive behavior between children in schools is a topic that receives much interest as violence and aggressive behavior cause many maladaptive social outcomes in the school setting. In the current study the Implicit Association Test (IAT) was adapted as a measure of children’s implicit aggression, by assessing the association of the self category (vs. other) with the attribute concept of aggressive (vs. peaceful). In addition to the IAT, a questionnaire measure to assess explicit aggression was utilized. The main goal of the present contribution was to examine the predictive validity of measures of implicit as well as explicit aggression in predicting the scores in a competitive computer game as an indicator of children’s aggressive behavior. Taken together, the results indicated that measures of implicit and explicit aggression could serve as reliable predictors of children’s aggressive behavior and that the IAT possesses incremental validity in addition to the self-report measure.

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