Using Motivational Interviewing to Improve Parenting Skills and Prevent Problem Behavior During the Transition to Kindergarten

Elizabeth A Stormshak,Allison Caruthers,S Andrew Garbacz,David Degarmo,Laura Lee Mcintyre

doi:10.1007/s11121-020-01102-w

Abstract

In this study, we examined the efficacy of a version of the Family Check-Up (FCU) adapted for kindergarten school entry with regard to parenting skills during the transition to school. We also examined whether improvements in parenting skills would mediate improvements in parent- and teacher-rated child behavior problems from kindergarten to second grade. The FCU is a motivational interviewing (MI) intervention designed to engage parents in treatment to improve parenting skills. Participants were parents of 365 children enrolled in one of five elementary schools in the Pacific Northwestern United States. Main and indirect effects were tested with structural equation path modeling using an intent-to-treat approach. The FCU was associated with improved change in parenting skills, and changes in parenting skills, in turn, predicted reductions in child behavior problems. Implications for embedding MI in family-centered interventions at kindergarten school entry are discussed. Trial registration: NCT02289092

Highlights

In this study, we examined the efficacy of a version of the Family Check-Up (FCU) adapted for kindergarten school entry with regard to parenting skills during the transition to school
The main efficacy hypotheses and indirect effects analyses were tested with structural equation path modeling (SEM) using Mplus 8.3 (Muthén and Muthén 1998–2019)
The primary hypothesis focused on whether the FCU had a direct effect on change in pre–post changes in child behavior problems and whether that effect was mediated by intervention-induced changes in pre–post parenting skill

Summary

Introduction

We examined the efficacy of a version of the Family Check-Up (FCU) adapted for kindergarten school entry with regard to parenting skills during the transition to school. Randomized clinical trials that implement parenting skill training and follow children longitudinally from infancy to adolescence have expanded our understanding of effective parenting skills at different developmental time points that lead to healthy child adjustment This body of research provides one of the strongest arguments for the influential role that parents play in the development and maintenance of a range of problem behaviors throughout childhood and adolescence, and it is a key mediator in developmental models of risk that predict adverse outcomes for children (Dishion and Stormshak 2007). Parenting interventions that reduce commands and harsh discipline predict fewer conduct problems at school entry, including ADHD symptoms (Daley et al 2009; Webster-Stratton 1998) In each of these examples, longitudinal follow-up and comparison with a control group provide insight into the typical course of child development, the potential preventative impact of parenting interventions on behavior, and the role that effective parenting can play in reducing the risk of behavior problems and adjustment difficulties from early childhood to adolescence. No research has been conducted on the FCU as a tool for prevention of problem behavior at elementary school entry when parents are motivated to support school success (McIntyre et al 2007)

Methods

Results

Conclusion