An Evaluation of a Parenting Class Curriculum for Parents of Young Children: Parenting the Strong-Willed Child

Abstract

Young children with high levels of acting out behaviors present a challenge for families, caregivers, and the childcare system. The Parenting the Strong-Willed Child (PSWC) parenting class curriculum program is a 6-week, group based parent education program designed for parents of children with noncompliance problems (ages 2-8). The PSWC program was offered at no cost to parents enrolled in 8 Head Start centers, and parents were invited to participate in a program evaluation study. Seventy-one families enrolled in the study and completed at least one PSWC session. From pre-to post-test, parents reported significant improvements in both the frequency and intensity of child behavior problems. Parents also reported significant reductions in parenting stress, as well as improvements in their parenting behaviors, including a reduction in the use of lax discipline techniques and emotional reactivity in the context of discipline encounters. All improvements were sustained six months later. These preliminary results are encouraging, and point to the need for a more rigorous, controlled evaluation of the PSWC parenting class curriculum.

Parental Involvement, Parenting Behaviors, and Children's Cognitive Development in Low-Income and Minority Families

“…Significantly, African American mothers who participated in parenting classes displayed fewer parental detachment behaviors over time as compared with mothers in the reference group. These results support the work of Conners et al (2006), which found that parenting classes helped parents relax their strict discipline behaviors and lower their levels of emotional intensity in the discipline encounter.…”

“…More than 40% of Head Start mothers Downloaded by [Northern Kentucky University] at 19:11 10 June 2016 displayed high rates of harsh or physically negative discipline, which is also a major risk factor. An empirical study conducted by Conners et al (2006) provided six-week group education programs for parents at eight Head Start centers. The researchers found that participants of parenting programs improved their parenting behavior and reported significant reductions in their own levels of stress.…”

“…Through appropriate intervention, parents can learn how to facilitate their children's cognitive and social development (Conners, Edwards, & Grant, 2006). Although the importance of parental involvement in the lives and education of school-age children is widely accepted, its role for children in preschool or child care has not been extensively researched.…”

A Review of Parent Training in Child Interventions: Applications to Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy for Children with High-Functioning Autism

“…This program trains parents to increase positive attention for good behavior, provide appropriate consequences, provide clear instructions, and other basic concepts related to behavior modification. In an independent evaluation of 71 parents who participated in the PSWC program, results indicated significant improvements in child behavior problems (both frequency and intensity, as reported by parents) and self-reported parenting behavior (Conners et al 2007). As such, this study also provides evidence for effectively treating children through a parent intervention.…”

An Examination of a Group Curriculum for Parents of Young Children With Disruptive Behavior

“…The Group Curriculum (GC) program has been examined in an uncontrolled trial, and the findings suggest that parent and child positive behavior change occurs with implementation of the program (Conners et al, 2007). Furthermore, parents reported general satisfaction with the GC program.…”