Le time-out ou « mise à l’écart temporaire » : un éclairage scientifique pour un débat sociétal

Abstract

Over the past year, several controversial articles have been written in the press and scientific journals about the benefits and harms of time-out (TO). The aim of this article is to review the scientific literature outlining the conclusions of meta-analyses carried out on parenting programs including TO, and on the TO procedure itself. Then, we describe the characteristics of the TO to understand how parents/educators use it and to assess its efficiency. The results show that the TO is not an isolated educational strategy but is included in a more comprehensive process with a before (establishment of the educational framework, rules to be followed) and an after (debriefing, explanations of inappropriate behavior) called time-in. Thus, it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of a TO without considering a wider temporality, including time-in. Moreover, the age of the child, the TO's duration and any behavioral or mental problems in the dyad child/parent are important factors that highlight the plurality of the TO. Further scientific research is necessary to assess its effectiveness considering the epidemiological characteristics of each protagonist. We need to look more closely at which TO is the best for which child and by which parent.