Parenting Program Research Articles

Improving the timeliness of birth registration in Fiji through a financial incentive

BackgroundFiji is a Pacific Island nation with the predominant ethnic groups indigenous Fijians (iTaukei) (62 %) and Fijians of Indian descent (31 %). This study reports on the effect of a Parental Assistance Payment Program (PAPP) tied to on-time birth registration, available in Fiji from August 2018 to July 2020. MethodsUnit record birth registration data (n = 117,829) for children born during 2016–22 were used to calculate mean birth-to-registration intervals and the likelihood of on-time birth registration (within 365 days) before the PAPP (January 2016–July 2018) compared to during the PAPP (August 2018–July 2020), by population disaggregations (sex, ethnicity, age, marital status). ResultsDuring the PAPP, mean birth-to-registration intervals declined sharply by 81 %, from 665 days (95 %CI: 658–671) to 124 days (121–127). The largest declines were among i-Taukei children (803 to 139 days, 83 %) compared to non-iTaukei (283 to 76 days, 73 %); mothers aged 10–19 years (880 to 134 days, 85 %) compared to ≥20 years (653 to 123 days, 81 %); and single mothers (983 to 145 days, 85 %) compared to married mothers (570 to 115 days, 80 %). On-time birth registration increased from 57 % to 93 %, and the adjusted hazard ratio showed children born during the PAPP were 2.3 times more likely (95 %CI: 2.2–2.4) to have their birth registered on-time compared to children born before the PAPP. When the PAPP was discontinued in August 2020, the birth-to-registration interval increased sharply in all population groups. ConclusionsDuring the two-year period the PAPP was available, it was highly effective at improving the timeliness of birth registration, particularly among iTaukei children, young mothers, and single mothers. After the PAPP was discontinued, the timeliness of birth registration deteriorated sharply. Longer post-PAPP follow-up time (≠5 years) is required to determine whether the timeliness of birth registration has deteriorated to levels similar to those during the pre-PAPP period.

Impact of visits on fostered children’s and families’ well-being: views of birth families, foster families and social workers

ABSTRACT This study explores the views of foster families and social workers, and often-overlooked parents of foster children on the benefits and drawbacks of visits. It also values changes in families’ perspectives after participating in a positive parenting program to improve visits quality. Findings from pre-post- semi-structured interviews revealed little progress in defining contact arrangements on a case-by-case basis and in engaging families in visits preparation. Comparison of the data collected rendered a more favorable appraisal of the visits after the intervention. Implications for social work practice highlighr ways to improve visits quality and the well-being of all those involve.

Iron deficiency anemia among infants: a retrospective cohort study

Postnatal iron deficiency, especially from ages 6 to 24 months, has long-term consequences lasting into adolescence and adulthood. We aimed to characterize iron deficiency anemia among infants from one central Israeli district by demographic and laboratory parameters. A retrospective chart review was performed on all infants from a single district who had undergone a complete blood count as part of a routine survey for iron deficiency anemia during 2010–2021. Data retrieved included hemoglobin levels, mean corpuscular volume, and demographic features: sex, sector (non-ultraorthodox Jew, ultraorthodox Jew, and Arab), socioeconomic status, and type of residence. The study group comprised 101,650 infants, aged 9 to 18 months. Iron deficiency anemia, defined as a hemoglobin level <11 g/dL and mean corpuscular volume <70 fl was observed in 4296 (4.2%) of the study infants. Iron deficiency anemia was more prevalent among Arab and ultraorthodox Jewish infants, than non-ultraorthodox Jewish infants (6.6% vs. 6% vs. 3%, respectively). It was also more prevalent among infants of low socioeconomic status, and relatively common among infants of rural residence. We identified two specific sub-populations at risk of developing iron deficiency anemia: Arab and ultraorthodox Jewish infants. We recommend enhancing the nationwide intervention program for both clinicians and parents, thereby treating iron deficiency anemia promptly to avoid short- and long-term deleterious health consequences.

Innovate! Accelerate! Evaluate! Harnessing the RE-AIM framework to examine the global dissemination of parenting resources during COVID-19 to more than 210 million people

BackgroundParents were at the forefront of responding to the needs of children during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used the RE-AIM framework to examine the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance of a global inter-agency initiative that adapted evidence-based parenting programs to provide immediate support to parents.MethodsData were collected via short surveys sent via email, online surveys, and analysis of social media metrics and Google Analytics. Retrospective surveys with 1,303 parents and caregivers in 11 countries examined impacts of the resources on child maltreatment, positive relationship building, parenting efficacy, and parenting stress.ResultsThe parenting resources were translated into over 135 languages and dialects; reached an estimated minimum 212.4 million people by June 2022; were adopted by 697 agencies, organizations, and individuals; and were included in 43 national government COVID-19 responses. Dissemination via social media had the highest reach (n = 144,202,170, 67.9%), followed by radio broadcasts (n = 32,298,525, 15.2%), text messages (n = 13,565,780, 6.4%), and caseworker phone calls or visits (n = 8,074,787, 3.8%). Retrospective surveys showed increased parental engagement and play, parenting self-efficacy, confidence in protecting children from sexual abuse, and capacity to cope with stress, as well as decreased physical and emotional abuse. Forty-four organizations who responded to follow-up surveys in April 2021 reported sustained use of the resources as part of existing services and other crisis responses.ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of a) establishing an international collaboration to rapidly adapt and disseminate evidence-based content into easily accessible resources that are relevant to the needs of parents; b) creating open-source and agile delivery models that are responsive to local contexts and receptive to further adaptation; and c) using the best methods available to evaluate a rapidly deployed global emergency response in real-time. Further research is recommended to empirically establish the evidence of effectiveness and maintenance of these parenting innovations.

IS CO-PARENTING POSSIBLE AFTER DIVORCE?: A SCOPING REVIEW OF THE EFFECTS ON CHILDREN

Post-divorce adjustment efforts lead to significant changes in the roles and functions of parents and children. This study examines how parenting attitudes and the co-parenting process develop after divorce and their reflections on children. Articles published in English between 2018 and 2024 in the Web of Science Core Collection database were reviewed, focusing on relevant keywords related to post-divorce co-parenting attitudes. A total of 51 articles were analyzed, and various themes were identified. The analysis revealed themes such as post-divorce adjustment, barriers, and facilitators in co-parenting. Parents' emotional challenges affect children's behavior and attitudes, while positive parental relationships support children's psychological well-being. Children who adapt better to divorce may feel the traumatic effects less intensely. Supporting parents' positive relationships with each other and allowing children to express their thoughts freely can contribute to reducing behavioral problems in children. These findings highlight the importance of special education programs for parents and children for post-divorce adjustment, the promotion of joint custody, and policies and legal regulations to enhance cooperation between parents.

Prevention of Violence Against Children: A Qualitative Exploration of Colombian Policymakers', Programme Facilitators' and Caregivers' Perceptions.

Violence against children (VAC) is a global public health and human rights issue that can lead to long-lasting negative consequences for individual and societal outcomes. While extensive evidence indicates that parenting programmes might be effective in preventing VAC, there are several unsolved questions on how to ensure interventions are acceptable, feasible, effective and sustainable, particularly in low- and- middle-income countries (LMICs). In this study, we report findings from a qualitative examination of policymakers' (N = 10), early childhood and parenting programme facilitators' (N = 20) and parents' and other caregivers' (N = 38) perspectives on VAC prevention to examine the implementation ecosystem of parenting programmes in Colombia, including contextual risk and protection factors, features of existing programmes, and stakeholders' needs. We conducted interviews and focus groups using a semistructured format, along with a thematic approach, to analyse the data from each group of participants (i.e., policymakers, facilitators and caregivers) independently. Overall, the data revealed the critical role of intersecting and interacting factors at the micro (e.g., caregivers' capabilities and beliefs), meso (e.g., programme content and delivery approaches) and macro (e.g., policymakers' vision and existing infrastructure) levels in exacerbating risks/imposing barriers versus protecting/promoting VAC prevention. These findings provide evidence on the implementation ecosystem of prevention programmes to inform the design of novel strategies and programmes aimed at preventing violence and promoting families' well-being and young children's development.

Process evaluation of the initial implementation of the Moments that Matter parenting program in Kenya.

The Moments that Matter® parenting program aims to promote nurturing care and healthy early childhood development (ECD) through monthly home visits and monthly community group meetings that are delivered by ECD promoters and coordinated with faith leaders in rural Western Kenya. We designed a process evaluation in August 2023 during the first quarter of program implementation. We conducted in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with caregivers, ECD promoters, faith leaders, and program staff to capture their program experiences, assess program quality, and explore the implementation barriers and facilitators during this early stage of program roll-out. Although ECD promoters delivered the program with fidelity, the roles and responsibilities of faith leaders were relatively weaker and inconsistent. Key facilitators of quality implementation included visual aids of key messages and supportive supervision. Barriers included a lack of clarity about faith leaders' roles and relatively long group session duration. We highlight several key recommendations for improving fidelity, quality, and eventual program effects with respect to enhancingnurturing care and early child development. Overall, our study showcases how a process evaluation conducted during the early phase of program implementation can reveal practical insights that can be used to inform program adaptations and quality improvement.

The Positive Behavioral Management Strategies Program (PBMS) for Parents, Teachers, and Caregivers: Impacts and Outcomes

The Positive Behavioral Management Strategies Program (PBMS) for Parents, Teachers, and Caregivers: Impacts and Outcomes

Parenting strategies and child behavior at preschool age in families using assisted reproductive technologies

Introduction. Certain parenting strategies have a significant impact on the appearance of behavioral problems in children. Due to the continuous increase in the number of children conceived with the help of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), and the availability of limited, disparate and contradictory data on the development of such children and influencing family factors, the purpose of this study is to identify the characteristics and relationship of maternal and paternal parenting strategies and child behavior in preschool age in families with ART. Materials and methods. The sample consisted of 90 families who used ART and 155 families with natural conception. To identify the features of the child's parenting strategies, the "Interaction with the child" questionnaire was used, and the "Behavior of your child" questionnaire was used to assess the child's behavior. Nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test. Results. The general trends (regardless of the type of conception) are the dominance of manifestations of sensitivity to the child, emotionality, responsiveness, positive constructive regulation of discipline on the part of both parents, but with a predominance of severity in mothers compared with fathers (p≤0.05). There is no specificity associated with the type of conception (p&gt;0.05) in the characteristics of a child's behavior at the age of 5 years. On the one hand, the stronger emotionality towards the child on the part of both parents is specific for families who have used ART (3684.5 &lt; U &lt; 5154.0; p≤0.05), but on the other hand, there are trends towards less consistency and the risk of contradictions in the upbringing of a child compared with families with natural conception of a child, the lack of direct links between paternal strategies and child behavior indicators (p&gt;0.05), stronger interrelations of different manifestations of dysfunctional behavior in a child. The types of ART families with different types of severity and relationship of parental parenting strategies and behavioral characteristics of children (p≤0.05) are identified. Conclusion. The results of the study show the need to develop and conduct personalized training programs for parents and build individual trajectories of psychological support for families who have used ART at the age stages of child development.

Caregiver mental health promotion and early parenting programmes

Caregiver mental health promotion and early parenting programmes

The Impact of Household Debt on Domestic Violence (DV) Against Children in Indonesia

Financial difficulties within a household could contribute to cases of domestic violence (DV). This study investigates the correlation between household debt and occurrences of domestic violence towards children in Indonesia. The study employs a quantitative methodology, notably utilising multinomial logistic regression analysis. Evidence suggests that households with several forms of debt are more prone to exhibiting both psychological and physical domestic violence against children, in contrast to households without domestic violence. This association maintains its significance even after taking into account control variables, such as the age of the spouse, the level of education of the head of home, the spouse's level of education, the size of the household, the perception of domestic violence, the schooling status of the children, and the age of the children are statistically associated with psychological, physical, and both types of domestic violence against children. Policymakers should assess household loan repayment capacity to limit lending to those at risk of financial struggle, while the government should implement parental education programs to raise awareness of child abuse and encourage non-violent parenting techniques.

Black Women and the Preemie Prep for Parents (P3) Program: Exploratory Analysis of a Clinical Trial.

The smartphone Preemie Prep for Parents (P3) program was developed to address the gap in prenatal education of preterm birth in high-risk pregnancies. Despite a higher incidence of preterm birth, Black women are less likely to receive prenatal education. Pregnant women with medical conditions that predisposed them to preterm birth were randomized to receive the P3 program or links to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists webpages (control). The P3 group received periodic text messages, starting as early as 18 weeks gestational age, each with a link to a short, animated educational video. Participants completed the Parent Prematurity Knowledge Questionnaire, PROMIS Anxiety scale, and a feedback survey. This is a subgroup analysis of the Black, non-Hispanic participants in the P3 trial. Of the 26 Black non-Hispanic women enrolled, the P3 group (n=14) had higher knowledge scores than the control group (n=12), 67.5% correct vs. 43.6% (difference 24.0; 95% CI, 7.4 to 40.6), without experiencing an increase in anxiety. More P3 participants reported discussing preterm birth with their partner (100%) than control participants (57%; difference 43; 95% CI, 6 to 80). The P3 program appears to be an effective method of providing preterm birth education to Black pregnant women.

Are a Child's Autistic Traits, Behavioural Difficulties, Prosocial Behaviour and Temperament Predictors of Parental Self-Efficacy and Satisfaction? A Study on Parents of Autistic and Neurotypical Children Aged 7-11 Years.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the significance of the severity of autistic traits, behavioural difficulties, prosocial behaviour and temperamental characteristics in children for parental self-efficacy and parental satisfaction in two groups of parents: parents of autistic children, and parents of neurotypical children. Data come from 145parents of autistic children and 239 parents of neurotypical children. Using hierarchical multiple regression analyses, the analysis explored the role of child characteristics in prediction of parental self-efficacy and parental satisfaction. The regression model tested explained 21% variation in parental self-efficacy and 27% variation in parental satisfaction in parents of autistic children and 3% of variation of results with respect to parental self-efficacy and 17% variation in parental satisfaction in parents of neurotypical children. In both groups, parental self-efficacy and parental satisfaction were negatively correlated with such child characteristics as severity of behavioural difficulties, severity of autistic traits and emotionality as also positively related to the child's prosocial behaviour. These findings may suggest that particularly useful mental health prevention programs for parents should combine two elements: developing parents' abilities of effectively coping with children's behavioural difficulties and working on attribution processes and negative convictions about parenthood.

Online positive parenting programme for promoting parenting competencies and skills: randomised controlled trial

Positive parenting programmes (PPP), albeit effective, are not readily accessible to the general public, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 103 healthy caregiver-child dyads, we investigated the effectiveness of online PPP on parenting sense of competencies (primary outcome), parenting styles and behavioural concerns of children aged 3–6 years (secondary outcomes) between 2 blinded, parallel groups. After block of 4 randomisations, intervention group (n = 52) attended live, group-based, internet delivered PPP while both intervention and active control group (n = 51) received weekly general education via communication application. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 8 and 14 weeks. Most parents from both groups had high education and household income. From the intervention group, 87.5% of the parents attended live sessions while 8.6% subsequently watched recorded sessions. At 14 weeks, the intervention group reported higher sense of competence (Wald 9.63, p = 0.008); both groups reported using more authoritative parenting style (Wald 15.52, p ≤ 0.001) from Generalised Estimating Equations model. Compared to baseline, both groups had significant reduction of children’s emotional problems at 14 weeks (mean change: Intervention = − 0.44, p = 0.033; Control = − 0.30, p = 0.046) and behavioural problems over time (Wald 7.07, p = 0.029). Online PPP offered an easily accessible, primary preventive measure to mitigate behavioural concerns and improve parental competency. Clinical Trial Registration: Thai Clinical Trials Registry (https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/); TCTR20201030001 on 30/10/2020.

Development and effects of the PARENT (Parenting Acceptable Real Empathy Nurture Training) program for mothers who defected from North Korea

Aim and backgroundNorth Korean refugee mothers struggle with the two-fold burden of adaptation and parenting in a new environment. This study aimed to develop and examine the effects of a parenting program for North Korean refugee mothers. MethodsThis quasi-experimental study was conducted with 65 North Korean refugee mothers who were recruited through the Korea Hana Foundation Center and Sajowi. The experimental and control groups comprised 33, 32 participants respectively. A program was conducted across eight sessions, each lasting about 90–120 min. The data were analyzed using the χ2 test, independent t-test, and paired t-test. ResultsSignificant differences were observed in the parenting efficacy (t = −10.03, p < .001) and child related stress (sub domain-parenting stress) (t = 3.24, p = .002) scores. While intergroup differences were observed for parenting efficacy (t = 5.48, p < .001), no significant differences were observed for parenting stress (parent related) (t = −0.22, p = .825) and parent–child relationship (t = 0.87, p = .387) and no intergroup differences were observed for parenting stress (t = −1.10, p = .274) and parent–child relationship (t = 1.06, p = .290). ConclusionThis study is significant to the field of nursing because North Korean refugee mothers who needed parenting education have high parental efficacy scores after intervention, which expresses confidence in parenting. This study proposed a parenting education intervention framework focusing on emotional empathy for North Korean refugee mothers who want to provide healthy parenting despite the challenges they encounter as immigrants, which will improve their confidence in parenting. It can serve as a source of basic data for designing parenting education intervention frameworks for refugees in the future.

Transition to a new baby: Exploring the association between couple leisure, coparenting and parenting practices

While engagement in couple leisure has been identified as an essential factor in helping maintaining couples’ relationship and get through relationship transitions, limited knowledge is known about how couple leisure may impact coparenting relationships and parenting behaviors. This study investigates the association between couple leisure before the birth of the child and both parents’ parenting practices when child was three years old. Coparenting relationship quality at child’s one year of age was examined as a potential mediator. Results reveal that the coparenting relationship significantly mediated the link between couple leisure and parenting stress for both parents. Further, the significant mediating effect of the coparenting relationship between couple leisure and parental involvement was observed only for fathers but not for mothers. Findings highlight the essential role of couple leisure in enhancing coparenting relationship and effective parenting during the transition to a new baby and offer valuable implications for parenting and education programs.

Adverse event assessment in a parenting programme: experiences from a multisite randomised controlled trial

BackgroundClinicians and researchers should consider the expected benefits and potential harms of an intervention. Parenting programmes are a widely used evidence-based intervention for child behaviour problems. However, few data are available on potential negative effects. The aims of this paper were to increase systematic knowledge of adverse event (AE) assessment in parenting programmes and to provide an AE assessment tool.MethodsAs part of the RISE project (prevention of child mental health problems in South-eastern Europe—adapt, optimise, test and extend parenting for lifelong health), we developed and tested an AE assessment procedure in three sequential studies for parents of children with child behaviour problems aged 2 to 9 years in North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, and Romania. This paper reports on the development of the assessment tool in phase 1 (N = 140), phase 2 (N = 835), and the final experiences with using the optimised procedures in phase 3 (multisite randomised controlled trial, N = 823) in which AEs were assessed before, three times during intervention delivery, and at 1 year follow-up. At each time point, the participants completed a 12-item AE checklist. If moderate-to-severe problems of parent or child were reported, a structured follow-up interview was conducted.ResultsThe response rate on the AE assessment tool increased from 6% (phase 1) to 100% (phase 3) indicating improvement in collecting these data based on the experiences of each phase. Results of the RCT (phase 3) showed generally low (S)AE frequencies with the finally optimised procedure: During the intervention, no serious adverse events (SAE) were registered; at least one AE was reported by 10% (after the first session), 7% (after the third session), and 4% (after the last fifth session) of participants. None of the identified (S)AEs was causally related to the study or intervention. Cost–benefit considerations are needed to determine the best way to ensure participant safety in parenting programmes.ConclusionThe applied active AE assessment procedure provides a comprehensive AE assessment tool that can be used by others—with adaptations for the specific context, if needed. Based on our experiences, we outline recommendations for future studies.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, registration number phase 1: NCT03552250; phase 2: NCT03865485, phase 3: NCT04721730. Registered on 13 January 2021.

Digital Parenting Program: Enhancing Parenting and Reducing Child Behavior Problems.

Digital parenting programs using smartphone apps can support families in positive parenting and require evaluations of their effects, mainly in low- and middle-income countries with caregivers experiencing psychosocial vulnerabilities. The study evaluated the "Born Learning" digital parenting program on improving parenting practices, child prosocial behavior, and reducing the children's externalizing behavior problems. Additionally, participants' satisfaction and engagement with the program were evaluated. Brazilian primary caregivers of 3- to 6-year-old children totaling 91, participated in the "Born Learning" program and pre-, post-intervention, and five-month follow-up evaluations. Most participants received cash transfers (64%) and reported some level of food insecurity (78%). The parenting coercive practices decreased from pre- to post-intervention, with maintenance in follow-up. Satisfaction with the role of parenting increased, and child conduct behavior problems decreased from pre-intervention to follow-up. Most participants found the program content very interesting and engaged adequately with the program strategies, such as messages and videos. The digital parenting program can support caregivers by enhancing parenting and decreasing child behavior problems, highlighting the potential for broader implementation in similar contexts.

Enrollment and completion rates of a nationwide guided digital parenting program for children with disruptive behavior before and during COVID-19.

Our aim was to study enrollment and completion levels for the internet-based and telephone-assisted Finnish Strongest Families Smart Website (SFSW) parent training intervention, for parents of young children with disruptive behavior before and after the COVID-19 lockdown period. Population-based screening was carried out on 39,251 children during routine check- ups at 4years of age. The parents of children scoring at least 5 on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were assessed against inclusion and exclusion criteria. Associations with enrollment or completion were analyzed using logistic regression models. The effects of COVID-19 restrictions on these were estimated using interrupted timeseries analysis. Of 39,251 families, 4894 screened positive and met the eligibility criteria. Of those, 3068 (62.6%) decided to enroll in the SFSW program and 2672 (87.1%) of those families completed it. The highest level of disruptive behavior (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.12-1.57, p < 0.001) and overall severity of difficulties (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.91-2.57, p < 0.001) were independently associated with enrollment. Higher parental education was associated with enrollment and completion. Higher paternal age was associated with enrollment, and parent depressive symptoms with non-completion. The SFSW enrollment did not significantly change following the COVID-19 restrictions, while the completion rate increased (COVID-19 completion OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.22-2.50, p = 0.002). Guided digital parenting interventions increase the sustainability of services, by addressing the child mental health treatment gap and ensuring service consistency during crisis situations.

The Role of Parental Mediation in the Associations Among Cyberbullying Bystanding, Depression, Subjective Health Complaints, and Self-Harm

The goal of this study was to investigate the moderating effect of parental mediation in the longitudinal associations among cyberbullying bystanding, depression, subjective health complaints, and self-harm. Participants were 1,067 seventh and eighth graders ( M age = 13.93; 50% female) from the suburbs of a large Midwestern city in the United States. Restrictive parental mediation and instructive parental mediation strategies moderated the relationships examined in this study. Increases in restrictive parental mediation strengthened the association between cyberbullying bystanding and depression, subjective health complaints, and self-harm. High instructive parental mediation weakened these associations. These findings underscore the importance of developing interventions that increase parents’ awareness of how to implement effective parental mediation strategies. Parental intervention programs that focus on parents’ role in mitigating their children’s exposure to cyberbullying and how they can help reduce the associated negative outcomes should be developed.