Parent Education Classes Research Articles

How should online antenatal and parenting education be structured according to parents? Qualitative findings from a mixed-methods retrospective study.

Over the past 50 years, the content and structure of antenatal education classes have varied to reflect social norms of the time, the setting and context in which they have been held and who has facilitated them. In recent times, antenatal and parenting education classes have become a smorgasbord of information, offering a range of diverse content. Where and how parents-to-be may access formal antenatal and parenting education classes are also varied. Even before the lockdown challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, many antenatal and parenting education classes had become available and accessible online. While the flexibility and accessibility of this option are apparent, scant research to date has reported on parents' experiences of undertaking online antenatal education. The objectives of this study were to explore new parents' experiences of engaging in online antenatal education, and to discover how consumers of online antenatal education perceive it should be designed and delivered. A mixed-methods design was used for this study, which was conducted with 294 past enrolees in a range of online antenatal and early parenting education programmes delivered by one private provider in Australia. The past enrolees were invited to participate in the study by email, wherein a link to an online information sheet and survey containing closed- and open-ended questions was provided. The responses to the open-ended questions that are reported in this article were analysed using a thematic approach that involved coding, sub-categorizing and then categorizing the data. A total of 108 participants provided qualitative data about the delivery and design of online antenatal education and information. The data were captured in three themes: video control and content, accessibility and pre-/intra-programme support. The results of this study provide important insights for the development of online antenatal education programmes and courses that will be of interest to antenatal educators, maternity services and maternity care policy developers. Specifically, millennial parents want trustworthy and accurate antenatal education that is delivered in a framework that aligns with and builds on adult-learning principles. The diversity of families and of expectant parents' learning styles is also important to recognize in antenatal education curricula.

Parental Preferences about Policy Options Regarding Disclosure of Incidental Genetic Findings in Newborn Screening: Using Videos and the Internet to Educate and Obtain Input.

Our objective was to develop and test a new approach to obtaining parental policy guidance about disclosure of incidental findings of newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (CF), including heterozygote carrier status and the conditions known as CFTR-related metabolic syndrome (CRMS) and/or cystic fibrosis screen positive inconclusive diagnosis, CFSPID. The participants were parents of infants up to 6 months old recruited from maternity hospitals/clinics, parent education classes and stores selling baby products. Data were collected using an anonymous, one-time Internet-based survey. The survey introduced two scenarios using novel, animated videos. Parents were asked to rank three potential disclosure policies—Fully Informed, Parents Decide, and Withholding Information. Regarding disclosure of information about Mild X (analogous to CRMS/CFSPID), 57% of respondents ranked Parents Decide as their top choice, while another 41% ranked the Fully Informed policy first. Similarly, when considering disclosure of information about Disease X (CF) carrier status, 50% and 43% gave top rankings to the Fully Informed and Parents Decide policies, respectively. Less than 8% ranked the Withholding Information policy first in either scenario. Data from value comparisons suggested that parents believed knowing everything was very important even if they became distressed. Likewise, parents preferred autonomy even if they became distressed. However, when there might not be enough time to learn everything, parents showed a slight preference for deferring decision-making. Because most parents strongly preferred the policies of full disclosure or making the decision, rather than the withholding option for NBS results, these results can inform disclosure policies in NBS programs, especially as next-generation sequencing increases incidental findings.

Parent Education Class for Children With Feeding Difficulties

Abstract Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a multidisciplinary educational class for parents in improving child feeding behaviors and reducing caregiver distress associated with feeding difficulties. This class has proven to be effective in educating parents about the intricate and dynamic nature of feeding per positive responses on Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale, Parent Mealtime Action Scale, and parent survey. Primary Author and Speaker: Adina P. Schwartz Additional Authors and Speakers: Judy Hopkins

Use of App Technology to Enhance Patient Experience in Maternal–Newborn Care

Implementation of a customizable pregnancy app embedded in the parent education program began when nurse leaders reviewed literature and analyzed declining trends in attendance at parent education programs. Subjectively, prenatal care providers felt there were opportunities to standardize information among all obstetric providers. Pediatric health care providers felt parents were underinformed specifically about infant safe sleep and car-seat safety recommendations. With 94% of people ages 18–29 years owning smart phones, app technology was chosen to augment education for the targeted population. Customized app technology provides evidence-based content from sources that patients prefer: their provider, childbirth class instructors, the hospital, and professional Web site links. The implementation of the app is nurse driven and evaluated. The process of purchase, legal review, and customization took place from September 2016 to April 2017. Content review took place with all stakeholders during the customization process. A promotional card with an individual access code is provided at the first prenatal visit. Measure 1: App download and use since deployment May 2017. On average, app downloads have increased by 14% per month since initial deployment. There are four times as many active users today than in May–June 2017. Measure 2: childbirth and parent education class registration. To evaluate if the app served to increase, decrease, or have no impact on the childbirth education class sizes, class registration numbers were monitored. The app included reminders for childbirth and parent education class sign up, which were timed to specific gestation. Class attendance has increased by approximately 6 participants per class, which is statistically significant. Measure 3: patient experience. A pre- and postapp implementation comparison of patient satisfaction outcome scores from Press Ganey Associates were used to measure effect on patient experience. The following two questions were targeted for data collection: readiness for discharge and instructions for care at home. Preimplementation scores were 90.07% and 86.11%, respectively, for the targeted questions. Postimplementation scores were 93.32% and 91.18%, respectively, which were both found to be statistically significant. Through implementing app technology, nurses are driving innovation, fostering connections, impacting patient satisfaction, and improving outcomes.

Effects of sleep education for pregnant women in a parent's education class on their sleep and depression

Effects of sleep education for pregnant women in a parent's education class on their sleep and depression

Can Ongoing Prenatal Education and Support by a Nurse Perinatal Educator Improve Pregnancy and Education Outcomes in At-Risk, Expectant Teenage Students?

To improve the social, legal, and educational outcomes for pregnant teens at the Guinn Special Programs Center, an alternative public education site in Plano, Texas, by having a perinatal nurse educator teach childbirth classes, infant safety, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to teenage mothers. The first class followed the outline and evidence-based content used in parent education classes at Medical City Plano.

Employing Transformative Learning Theory in the Design and Implementation of a Curriculum for Court-Ordered Participants in a Parent Education Class

This study sought to analyze the experiences of participants in court-ordered parent education with the ultimate goal to identify a framework, which promotes learning that is transformative. Participants included 11 parents court ordered to attend parent education classes through the Department of Human Services. A basic qualitative design, which was comprised of a before-training interview, training, after-training interview, and follow-up interview, was used. Analysis of data, which included transcribed interviews, field notes, journal postings, and observations of parent–child interactions, revealed that most of the participants experienced a transformation of parenting style. Transformation was fostered through self-reflection and rational discourse in the form of journal writings, guided class discussions, and critical questioning. Findings suggest that transformative learning can occur in a mandated setting providing that the incentive is powerful enough and that transformative learning can be lasting in non-life-threatening situations, such as the potential loss of custody of one’s children.

Raising Citizens: Parenting Education Classes and Somali Mothers’ Experiences of Childrearing in Canada

Mothers are viewed as the people who are raising future citizens of Canada; therefore, their parenting practices are being targeted for intervention by civic organizations funded by the state. In this article, I argue that modernity narratives and neoliberalism approaches to mothering inform parenting education classes for Somali refugee women to Canada. Thus, Somali women are often seen as victims. Stereotyped identities conceal their social and historical agency. This research draws on 15 individual interviews with Somali mothers and participant- observation in two parenting education classes in Canada.

Parent Education Programs: Review of the Literature and Annotated Bibliography

Court-connected parent education programs are an integral family service component in most of the nation’s family courts. These programs are implemented to enable the courts to respond efficiently and effectively to the proliferation of cases involving separation, divorce, and related issues such as child custody and access (Sigal, Sandler, Wolchik, and Braver, 2008; Pollet and Lombreglia, 2008; McIntosh and Deacon-Wood, 2003). Since 2007, parent education classes are mandatory in forty-six states (Pollet and Lombreglia, 2008). In Maryland, every court with jurisdiction over divorce and child custody matters utilizes some form of parent education.The findings discussed in this literature review indicate that divorce education is more effective in certain circumstances than in others. Divorce education is less successful in improving communication between parents who already are well into the divorce process, and it is more successful when introduced earlier in the divorce process (Pollet and Lombreglia, 2008; McIntosh and Deacon-Wood, 2003; Thoennes and Pearson, 1999). The literature also indicates that skills-based, interactive divorce education programs are more effective than divorce education programs that simply provide parents with information presented in a didactic format (Bacon and McKenzie 2004).

A Rigorous Quasi-Experimental Design to Evaluate the Causal Effect of a Mandatory Divorce Education Program

All couples with minor children who filed for divorce within a specific 6-week period (N = 191 couples) in one jurisdiction were ordered to attend a divorce education program. The control group included about 20 couples randomly selected from each of six 6-week intervals before and six 6-week intervals after the treatment interval (N = 243 couples). Archival records were searched for variables such as legal and residential custody award, visitation percentage, and relitigation. The impact of the program was assessed by evaluating, for each variable, whether the data for program interval departed from the straight (regression) line drawn through all the control group intervals. Only the visitation time award significantly differed: 27.75% for treatment couples and 22.46% for control couples. Analyses show that the father's attendance at the program primarily accounts for the difference. Key Points for the Family Court Community There are considerable methodological weaknesses in most of the existing evaluations of divorcing parent education programs. Stronger, more scientifically rigorous—and thus persuasive—designs are possible in court settings, such as the regression discontinuity quasi-experimental design we feature here. Archival records, such as various court filings, are a rich and relatively untapped source of data. Being mandated to attend a single 2-hour divorcing parent education class caused an increase in the visitation time award in divorce decrees. There is a disconnect between being mandated by a judge to attend a program and actual attendance.

Prevention of sexual abuse: improved information is crucial

Sexual abuse can lead to long-lasting, even life-long, consequences and is a serious problem on an individual, familial and societal level. Therefore, prevention measures on different levels are a public health issue. Minors as well as adults should be involved in prevention work in order to prevent sexual abuse of minors in a sustainable way. Besides norms, structures and values in society, the respective laws as well as attitudes and structures should be changed and amended in such a way that abusers and the abuse are clearly confronted everywhere. In the last decades, numerous prevention programs for victims have been developed for various target groups (e.g. parenting education classes, home-visiting programs, public education, training sessions for teachers, E-Learning Programs of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research and the Centre for Child Protection). Many of these programs have proven partially effective. Nevertheless, until now there is no consensus in the scientific community on what constitutes effectiveness in this context. Reasons for this are the discrepancies in definitions or the scarcity of attention which the evaluation of prevention measures has received.

The Implementation of the Discharge Nurse on a Mother–Baby Unit: A Conduit to Increased Patient Satisfaction

Paper Presentation Purpose for the Program The discharge nurse (DN) position was presented to hospital administration in 2011 for permission to grant a trial as a strategy to improve patient satisfaction with the mother–baby unit (MBU) discharge process. We hoped to improve consistency of parent education before discharge and improve patient satisfaction with the process. We also felt this position would affect throughput between the labor and delivery unit and the MBU simply through facilitation of timely discharges. We projected an increase in our Press Ganey and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores as a result of this innovative program. Proposed Change A DN would work five 8‐hour shifts Monday through Friday. The DN would meet patients on their first day admitted to the MBU and begin their plan for discharge. Furthermore, the DN would review all prescriptions on the day of discharge, including the effects of medication and potential adverse effects, review and prepare necessary paperwork, review discharge instructions for the mom and infant, review all screening tests and results, and review follow‐up appointments for the mom and infant. Patients discharged in the coming day or days would attend a daily parent education class taught by the DN. The final car seat check would also be executed by the DN. After the mom and infant were discharged, the DN would document the discharge and complete the process. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation The position was trialed for 3 months and made permanent late spring 2012 after evaluation of outcomes were realized. Press Ganey as well as HCAHP scores validated an increase in patient satisfaction with the discharge process and patient education class time. The hospital administration recognized the positive outcomes and is presently using this best practice on another unit. Implications for Nursing Practice This innovative program can be used on any unit struggling with discharge‐related patient satisfaction scores. The efficiency gained as a result of this process can be extrapolated for admission as well, and an admission and discharge team can be used to generate improved satisfaction in addition to improved throughput between units. Standardization ensures that the education surrounding discharge of mothers and newborns is consistent from one patient to the next. Nurse satisfaction was improved from this process and left more time for the staff nurse to monitor, care for, and teach patients with less fragmentation.

The weight of my words: the role of confession and surveillance in parenting programmes

This paper considers the experiences of people ordered by the courts in one area of England to attend parenting education classes and also parents who voluntarily attend these programmes. There has been increasing intervention into family life, designed to improve ‘poor’ parenting, most notably the use of parenting education programmes. These programmes deliver skills training with the aim of enhancing parenting practices and improving the behaviour of children. The paper provides analysis of parenting programmes delivered by a voluntary organisation service and considers how the parents are surveilled by the parenting workers, who in turn are also subject to scrutiny and monitoring by their managers, using the Foucauldian concepts of pastoral power and governmentality. While there are many theoretical analyses of welfare interventions this paper uses in-depth interviews with those providing and receiving these interventions (n = 22), in one service in the north of England.

Rehabilitation, Risk, and the Carceral Mother: Subjectivity and Parenting Classes in Prisons

Parenting education classes are ubiquitous in the correctional system, particularly for female inmates. This approach to reforming women embodies a maternal subjectivity far removed from the poverty-stricken, criminalized, largely Native Hawai‘ian population in Hawaii’s prisons. Neoliberal governance views poor parenting as the reason for crime, poverty, and a host of social ills. Parenting classes, while well meant and popular among female inmates, foster a reality grounded in notions of middle-class family life. Prisons and other disciplinary systems (such as child welfare) target women’s maternal concerns in order to manage risk, both among female inmates and, potentially, among their children through parenting education. Using data from 240 prison case files and 25 in-depth interviews of mothers on parole supervision, this study finds that the white, middle-class notions embodied by the parenting class are largely at odds with the lived experience of parenting women who are incarcerated.

Do Early Childhood Interventions Prevent Child Maltreatment?

We reviewed the empirical evidence on whether early childhood primary prevention programs can reduce rates of child abuse and neglect. Fifteen studies of 14 programs for children ages birth to 5 years were completed from 1990 to 2007 and assessed impacts with methodological rigor. All but one of the programs intervened from birth to age 3 through home visits, parent education classes, or the provision of health services. The weighted average effect size of program participation was a 2.9 percentage-point reduction in maltreatment (6.6% vs. 9.5%), which is equivalent to a 31% reduction in the rate of maltreatment and a fifth of a standard deviation. Of the five programs showing significant reductions in substantiated rates of child maltreatment, three provide strong evidence of preventive effects. Only the Child-Parent Centers (CPCs) and the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) assessed longer term preventive effects. Common elements of these effective programs included implementation by professional staff, relatively high dosage and intensity, and comprehensiveness of scope. The major conclusion is that the evidence base for programs in early childhood to prevent child maltreatment remains relatively weak. To advance the field, more longer term studies of a variety of intervention models are needed.

Women’s Perspectives on Maternity Services in Sweden: Processes, Problems, and Solutions

Most measures of health care quality focus on medical outcomes rather than patients' assessments of quality. Drawing on data from a national survey of Swedish women, this study describes women's opinions about what is important to them during pregnancy and birth. This qualitative study is based on responses of 827 pregnant women to an open question completed in the second trimester. In total, 2061 separate statements were analyzed. Using content analysis, these statements were clustered into 4 themes: desirable characteristics of midwife, prenatal care during pregnancy, care during labor and birth, and care after birth. Within those themes, 13 categories were found. Findings suggest areas for improvement in maternity services including: the timing and length of prenatal visits, making parent education classes available to all women, prelabor visits to the maternity ward, continuous information about the progress of labor, flexibility in time of discharge, and postpartum support for families. Women also stated that characteristics of the midwife, such as being supportive, friendly, attentive, respectful, and nonjudgemental, were important. A patient-centered and individualized approach, with women and their partners as the subjects rather than the objects of care, would increase satisfaction and the overall quality of maternity services in Sweden.

General population norms about child abuse and neglect and associations with childhood experiences

Background: A variety of definitions of child abuse and neglect exist. However, little is known about norms in the general population as to what constitutes child abuse and neglect or how perceived norms may be related to personal experiences. Methods: We conducted a random-digit-dialed telephone survey of 504 Washington State adults. Respondents were asked whether they believed each of 34 behaviors, identified in focus groups as possibly physically, sexually or emotionally abusive or neglectful, constituted abuse or neglect. Then, they were asked whether they had experienced 33 of the behaviors. Results: Five of the six behaviors with the highest levels of consensus were for sexual abuse, whereas only one emotionally abusive behavior had a high level of consensus (95% agreement). Consensus that spanking constituted abuse increased with severity. Those respondents who reported experiencing a particular behavior were significantly less likely to believe the behavior abusive for 11 of the 33 behaviors and more likely to believe the behavior abusive for two of the behaviors. Where comparisons were possible, there was a high level of consensus that behaviors identified as abusive in Child Protective Service operational definitions constituted abuse. Conclusions: Self-reported childhood experiences were associated with perceived norms about child abuse. A better understanding of community norms about child abuse and neglect may be helpful in communicating with the public or allow for better targeting of educational messages through the media, parenting education classes, and so forth.

Parent education classes: teaching junior paediatric doctors and student nurses about normal baby care

This paper describes the need for education on normal baby care and how a modified community parent education class was developed for junior doctors and student nurses. The aim was to increase their understanding of the subject and better able them to advise parents. The classes were developed by health visitors (HVs) and a National Child Birth Trust (NCT) counsellor. The evaluation results of a pilot are reported. Many benefits of interprofessional learning and teaching were identified.

Community responses and perceived barriers to responding to child maltreatment.

Although child maltreatment has important effects on physical and psychological health, even serious cases often go unreported. Little is known about actions that individuals take when they know of an abused child, factors influencing whether they take action, or general population beliefs about how best to prevent maltreatment. A random-digit-dialed telephone survey of 504 Washington State civilian, English-speaking adults living in households with telephones was conducted in 2002. Respondents were asked whether they had ever known an abused child and if so, how they responded and any barriers they experienced to responding. Regardless of whether they had known an abused child, they were asked how they would respond in a hypothetical situation and hypothetical barriers. They were also asked what they believed to be effective in preventing maltreatment. Half (49% +/- 5%) of the respondents indicated that they had known a child they believed to be abused and of these, four-fifths (84% +/- 5%) indicated that they took some action, most frequently reporting the abuse to Child Protective Services, talking to the parents about the abuse or how to parent, or calling the police or other law enforcement. The most frequently reported barriers were fear of retaliation by the abusive parent, being afraid of making the child's situation worse, and not wanting to intrude on family privacy. About nine-tenths of respondents believed that mental health services and drug and alcohol treatment, support services such as food banks and crisis nurseries, and parenting education classes were effective in preventing abuse. These results provide evidence that most people are willing to intervene to help an abused child. However, barriers to intervening (particularly fear of retaliation) exist and may account for some of the failures to report abuse.

"The parenting class ... has helped me to better realize the parent I want to be": The HOPE Program for Female Offenders and Their Children

In response to the needs of incarcerated women, parent education programs have been developed for use in penal settings. These programs focus on information and skill development in the areas of child development and child rearing as well as increasing mothers' success after release (e.g., raising self esteem, sharing community resources). The HOPE Program, a result of multiagency collaboration and operating at a medium-security prison in Indiana, offers parent education classes and individualized support to mothers during their prison term and after release. This article describes the first 4 cohorts of mothers and their experiences, including a description of program components and data-collection instruments. Mothers' comments about The HOPE Program are also provided. Considerations are presented for replication and further investigation of this model of parent education for incarcerated mothers.