Predicting positive outcomes and successful completion in an online parenting program for parents of children with disruptive behavior: An integrated data analysis

Abstract

Online delivery of parenting support is steadily increasing, yet the factors that influence program engagement and efficacy are still understudied. This study used an integrated data analysis approach to identify family and program-related factors that influence outcomes. We combined individual data from seven published efficacy trials of the web-based version of the Triple P—Positive Parenting Program. Data were analyzed for 985 families with children aged between 2 and 12 years (M = 4.87; SD = 2.14) using a Latent Change Score approach. At post-intervention, sociodemographic factors were not predictive of changes in child behavior problems, while parents of boys and those with higher education showed greater improvements in dysfunctional parenting. Parents who were initially more confident in their parenting showed more overall gains while parents with more initial adjustment difficulties showed less improvement. Only the effect of baseline child behavior problems on changes in dysfunctional parenting was moderated by treatment condition. At follow-up, program variant and completion were the primary outcome predictors, with completion found to be related to initial parenting confidence, internet usage and program variant. The implications of these findings for reaching and retaining parents in online programs across all phases of the engagement process are discussed.