The Role of Parent Engagement in a Web-Based Preventive Parenting Intervention for Child Mental Health in Predicting Parenting, Parent and Child Outcomes.

Wan Hua Sim,Marie B H Yap,Anthony F Jorm

doi:10.3390/ijerph19042191

Abstract

Although parents’ engagement in parenting programmes has frequently been posited to influence the efficacy and dissemination of these programmes, its relationship with intervention outcomes in parenting programmes is understudied. This study examined the predictive value of parental engagement on preventive parenting outcomes in a tailored online parenting programme aimed at enhancing parental protective factors and reducing risk factors for child depression and anxiety disorders. The present study also explored the associations between parental engagement and other parent, child and family outcomes. Data were collected from a community sample of 177 parents who received a tailored online parenting programme (‘Parenting Resilient Kids’; PaRK) and their children as part of a randomised controlled trial. Participants completed measures on parenting, child anxiety and depressive symptoms, health-related quality of life and family functioning on three occasions. Multiple regressions showed that parental engagement explained additional variance in preventive parenting (most proximal outcomes) at post-intervention and 12-month follow-up. Indicators of higher levels of parental engagement, operationalised by greater proportions of recommended programme modules and intended goals completed, uniquely predicted higher levels of preventing parenting. Higher levels of parental engagement also predicted higher levels of parental acceptance and parental psychosocial health-related quality of life, lower levels of parental psychological control and lower levels of impairments in child health-related quality of life. However, parental engagement did not explain additional variance in parent or child reported anxiety or depressive symptoms. This study provides support for the role of parental engagement in facilitating parenting changes in parenting-focused interventions.

Highlights

Introduction iationsAt least half of all cases of mental disorders develop by the age of 14 years [1,2] and many of them are preventable [3,4]
Parent training carried out with individual families or small groups are effective, programme reach is limited and unlikely to lower the rates of child mental health problems at the population level [65]
To move the needle on child mental health, there is a need for a public health approach to parenting support that emphasises the universal relevance of parenting support and normalises parental participation in parenting programmes

Summary

Introduction

At least half of all cases of mental disorders develop by the age of 14 years [1,2] and many of them are preventable [3,4]. Parents can play an integral role in minimising their children’s risk of developing common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety disorders. A mounting body of work indicates that targeting specific parenting practices may be effective in reducing the risk of children and adolescents developing anxiety, depression and internalising problems [5,6,7]. Parental warmth, autonomy granting and monitoring appear to serve as protective factors, whereas parental overinvolvement, psychological control, aversiveness and inter-parental conflict are risk factors for child internalising their problems [8,9]. By intervening with parents using a preventive approach, the hope is to promote positive changes in parenting and, in turn, foster positive developmental trajectories of their children [5,10].

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion