“Will it Work as Well on Zoom?” A Natural Experiment During the Covid-19 Pandemic of Delivering Parenting Groups Via Video Conferencing or in Person

Abstract

While rates of child maltreatment increased during the Covid-19-pandemic, face-to-face interventions to support families got difficult to carry out due to restrictions. Meanwhile, many services do not have access to parenting programs designed for digital or remote delivery. A solution employed by some services was to use video conferencing (VC) to deliver their regular parenting programs. This study examined the effectiveness of the universal group-based parenting program ABC offered through VC instead of on-site meetings during the pandemic. Pre and post measurements were collected from 469 parents participating in either 1) ABC with VC meetings only, 2) on-site meetings only, or 3) blended – a combination of VC and on-site sessions. In addition, 74 group leaders completed a survey about their experiences of VC groups. Analyses showed general improvements in parent practices and child conduct over time, but no differences in effectiveness depending on the format of the parent group (VC, blended, or on-site). Qualitative analyses of group leaders’ experiences revealed four key-themes pertaining to both challenges (e.g., concerns about parents’ ability to benefit and learn parenting skills) and benefits (e.g., reaching parents who would not have been able to attend physical meetings) of VC groups. Overall, this study showed no significant differences in outcomes between the VC, blended, or on-site format of delivery. There are however limitations of this trial, and results should be considered preliminary. Effectiveness and potential negative consequences of replacing interventions intended to be delivered on-site with VC alternatives need to be further investigated in future trials.

A mixed-methods study of parents’ social connectedness in a group-based parenting program in low-income communities.

“…A study by van Leuven et al (2023) comparing virtual and in-person PT group delivery during the pandemic found no differences in PT outcomes by format. However, group facilitators reported many challenges implementing the program and felt parents were often distracted and less able to concentrate in the virtual setting (van Leuven et al, 2023). While virtual formats allow some parents who work, are disabled, have limited access to transportation, or multiple competing responsibilities greater flexibility to participate, they also allow for more distractions during group sessions, which may impact their ability to connect with the other parents.…”

“…Participants. Purposive and theoretical sampling (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) was used to recruit participants in the qualitative arm. Participants were recruited from eight CPP groups conducted across five schools to maximize variability in SC scores and school locations.…”

“…A semistructured interview guide was developed by the study team and pilot tested with the first three qualitative participants. Additional interview questions were added in response to emerging themes and driven by the theoretical sampling (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). See Supplemental Material 2 for the final interview guide.…”

Reach and predictors of effects during nation-wide dissemination of the universal parenting program All Children in Focus

“…The instruments were constructed based on clinical experience and inspiration from established instruments assessing parent and child well-being and behavior. See [ 31 ] for a previous report employing the instruments. Parents were asked to base their responses on their child who currently posed the greatest challenge for them as parents (henceforth ‘focal child’).…”

“…One of the few studies we know of predictors or moderators of universal parent training is an evaluation of the program in focus in this study: the Swedish All Children in Focus (‘ABC’, from the Swedish ‘Alla Barn i Centrum’). ABC is a universal four-session parenting program which has proven effective on parental self-efficacy and children’s health and development [ 30 ], which also has been shown to be possible to deliver both on-site and remotely [ 31 ]. Low parental mental health, higher education, and larger family size was associated with greater gains in parental self-efficacy in the intervention group compared to waitlist control.…”