A pilot evaluation of the Building Early Emotional Skills (BEES) curriculum in face‐to‐face and online formats

Abstract

The Building Early Emotional Skills (BEES) parenting program is designed to promote parent-child relationships and more optimal social-emotional development by addressing four sequentially built skills in parenting infants/toddlers: (1) building parental awareness of emotions in self and child; (2) listening and interacting sensitively; (3) identifying and labeling emotions; and (4) intentionally supporting early self-regulation skills. BEES used an 8-session format delivered in online or face-to-face platforms (N = 264 female caregivers; n = 214 online, n = 50 face-to-face). Linear mixed modeling for pre-topost changes showed significant increases in knowledge, emotion coaching beliefs, acceptance of negative emotions, and self-reported emotionally supportive responses to emotions; and, significant decreases in rejection of emotions, emotionally unsupportive responses, and parenting distress.Results suggested no differences in rate of change by program delivery type. Caregivers with more depressive symptoms showed greater improvement in their parenting distress. The BEES program may be a tool to support early positive parenting.

A randomized waitlist control trial of the Make the Connection® online program for caregivers of infants and young children: Study protocol

“…Recent research has demonstrated that the online delivery of a parenting program for caregivers of children under the age of 3 years was as effective in demonstrating increases in knowledge, parenting skills, and self-reported supportive responses as an in-person delivery model. 20 A recent meta-analysis of technology-assisted parenting interventions for families experiencing social disadvantage with young children (<6 years) also found improvements in parenting behaviour and child behaviour from pre- to post-intervention. 21 While online adaptations are promising, it is unknown whether the MTC online program will lead to changes in caregiver attitudes, sense of self-competence, and caregiver stress when being delivered virtually similar in magnitude to the in-person delivery method.…”