Pediatric residents’ parenting guidance after exposure to Incredible Years

Abstract

Background: The Incredible Years® (IY) is an evidence-based group parenting program that provides parenting guidance to parents of children with disruptive behavior. Pediatric residents are expected to provide parenting guidance to families, but often express discomfort with doing so. Little is known whether exposure to the IY curriculum may impact pediatric resident parenting guidance. Methods: A pilot study was developed to determine whether pediatric residents exposed to the IY Program demonstrate better knowledge of positive parenting practices, higher comfort levels with providing parenting guidance and increased confidence in demonstrating parenting skills. Residents were exposed to an on-going IY Preschool Parenting Program during their Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics rotation in 2017 - 2018. They completed pre and post surveys with questions about demographics, resident knowledge, comfort, and confidence with parenting guidance, as well as satisfaction with the program. Results: Eleven interns participated in the intervention, and 8 completed post-intervention surveys (64% response). All residents reported higher comfort in discussing parenting strategies with families (W = 0, p < .05) and providing referrals for mental health services (W = 0, p < .05). Residents reported more confidence with demonstrating specific parenting skills in the office (W = 0, p < .05). All interns reported that exposure to IY was “useful” or “somewhat useful” to their training, and all recommended that others be exposed to the program. Conclusions: Results support the value of exposure to IY for pediatric residents. Exposure to IY may be an effective way to educate residents about parenting guidance.