Assessing the effects of a parenting education program on parental ability to use positive behavior control strategies

Abstract

A parenting education program delivered to a sample of parents of young children aged 3–12 years who often used negative behavior control strategies to discipline their children was evaluated for effectiveness using a quasi-experimental design. Parents ( n = 150) who received parenting education program intervention program for 8 weeks (weekly 2 hr session) were compared with parents ( n = 150) who did not go through the program. The program’s effectiveness was evaluated with regard to changes in parental disciplinary behavior through observation of parent–child interactions during home visits. Data were collected across three time periods using home observation checklist. Significant improvements in parenting skills were observed as many parents were seen using verbal praise and other positive strategies in dealing with their children; a feat that was lacking before to intervention. The analysis of covariance revealed a significant treatment effect on parenting behavior F(2, 248) = 23.39, p < .05, with the intervention parents demonstrating greater ability to use positive behavior control strategies than did the comparison parents. The magnitude of the effect size was medium (partial η² = .072). This effect persisted over a 12-week follow-up period. These findings indicated that the parenting education program could be effective in helping parents improve their parenting skills and support the parents in creating a safe and supportive home environment that prevent children’s exposure to physical abuse.

Family Education and Support Programme: Implementation and Cultural Adaptation in Cape Verde

“…These data point to the need to implement psychoeducational programmes among Cape Verdean parents, to promote parenting competences, reduce parental stress, and develop appropriate educational strategies for children. In addition, the scientific literature clearly indicates that the implementation of positive parenting programs has a high potential to reduce the level of child abuse and risk (Knerr et al 2013;Ogidan and Ofoha 2019), thus promoting child well-being (Ayala- Nunes et al 2018).…”