The Effectiveness of Social-Support Skill Training with Multiproblem Families At Risk for Child Maltreatment

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of a 16-week group curriculum designed to strengthen prosocial attitudes and interpersonal skills of parents at risk for child maltreatment to assist them in building more supportive and satisfactory networks. The 23 parents receiving social-support skill training were compared with 15 parents participating in a standard agency discussion group. Primary outcome measures included social network characteristics, attitudes toward and satisfaction with support. Of secondary or clinical interest were measures of parent well-being and relationships among variables. The posttraining networks of parents in the experimental groups had a significantly larger percentage of members from community organizations, and significantly smaller proportions of “other friends.” Though nonsignificant, parents in the experimental groups also reported a reduction in network density, and increases in satisfaction with network size and support from friends.