Effects of ParentCorps in Prekindergarten on Child Mental Health and Academic Performance

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Low-income minority children living in urban neighborhoods are at high risk for mental health problems and underachievement. ParentCorps, a family-centered, school-based intervention in prekindergarten, improves parenting and school readiness (ie, self-regulation and preacademic skills) in 2 randomized clinical trials. The longer-term effect on child mental health and academic performance is not known.OBJECTIVE To examine whether ParentCorps delivered as an enhancement to prekindergarten programs in high-poverty urban schools leads to fewer mental health problems and increased academic performance in the early elementary school years. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This is a 3-year follow-up study of a cluster randomized clinical trial of ParentCorps in public schools with prekindergarten programs in New York City. Ten elementary schools serving a primarily low-income, black student population were randomized in 2005, and 4 consecutive cohorts of prekindergarten students were enrolled from September 12, 2005, through December 31, 2008. We report follow-up for the 3 cohorts enrolled after the initial year of implementation. Data analysis was performed from September 1, 2014, to December 31, 2015. INTERVENTIONS ParentCorps included professional development for prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers and a program for parents and prekindergarten students (13 two-hour group sessions delivered after school by teachers and mental health professionals). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Annual teacher ratings of mental health problems and academic performance and standardized tests of academic achievement in kindergarten and second grade by testers masked to the intervention or control group randomization. RESULTS A total of 1050 children (4 years old; 518 boys [49.3%] and 532 girls [50.7%]) in 99 prekindergarten classrooms participated in the trial (88.1% of the prekindergarten population), with 792 students enrolled from 2006 to 2008. Most families in the follow-up study (421 [69.6%]) were low income; 680 (85.9%) identified as non-Latino black, 78 (9.8%) as Latino, and 34 (4.3%) as other. Relative to their peers in prekindergarten programs, children in ParentCorps-enhanced prekindergarten programs had lower levels of mental health problems (Cohen d=0.44; 95% CI, 0.08-0.81) and higher teacher-rated academic performance (Cohen d = 0.21; 95% CI, 0.02-0.39) in second grade.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Intervention in prekindergarten led to better mental health and academic performance 3 years later. Family-centered early intervention has the potential to prevent problems and reduce disparities for low-income minority children. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01670227

Relación entre apoyo familiar y el rendimiento académico en estudiantes colombianos de educación primaria

“…Ibabe (2016) por su parte, analiza la contribución de las variables familiares (nivel de educación de los padres, cohesión familiar y disciplina familiar positiva) en el fracaso escolar y la violencia entre los hijos de adolescentes de una muestra comunitaria. Brotman, et al (2016) intentaron examinar si los ParentCorps prestados como una mejora a los programas de pre-kindergarten en las escuelas urbanas de alta pobreza conducen a menos problemas de salud mental y el aumento del rendimiento académico en los primeros años de la escuela primaria. Como resultados más significativos encontraron que la intervención en prekindergarten condujo a una mejor salud mental y rendimiento académico tres años después.…”

Using Motivational Interviewing to Improve Parenting Skills and Prevent Problem Behavior During the Transition to Kindergarten

“…Despite these clear findings, much of the foundational research that supports parenting interventions was conducted several decades ago and used the format of parenting groups as the primary mode of delivery. Although many successful programs include group training (Brotman et al 2016), problems such as attendance, staffing, attrition, and low dosage have proved to be barriers to implementing these programs in real-world communities . In response, individualized models of treatment were developed with the goal of reducing treatment time by providing brief, targeted interventions that motivate parents to make changes and build on strengths (Nock and Kazdin 2005).…”

Families Who Benefit and Families Who Do Not: Integrating Person- and Variable-Centered Analyses of Parenting Intervention Responses

“…Alternative approaches that model intervention and control families simultaneously can compare trajectories with and without intervention and may identify, for example, trajectories whereby untreated problems worsen over time. 33 In conclusion, Incredible Years in an indicated prevention context seems to be successful in decreasing disruptive child behavior in a small group of families to a large extent, rather than in a large group of families to a small extent. Families who show severe disruptive child behavior and harsh and inconsistent parenting are most likely to benefit.…”