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Objective: Investigate (a) whether including fathers in parent training enhances outcomes and (b) whether mothers and fathers benefit equally from parent training. Method: Using traditional meta-analysis methodology, 26 studies that could answer the research questions were identified and meta-analyzed. Results: Studies that included fathers, compared with those that did not, reported significantly more positive changes in children's behavior and desirable parenting practices, but not in perceptions toward parenting. Compared with mothers, fathers reported fewer desirable gains from parent training. Conclusions: Fathers should not be excluded from parent training and should be encouraged to attend. Further research should seek to understand how parent-training programs might better meet the needs of fathers.

SYNOPSISObjective. The goal of the present investigation was to provide a meta-analytic review of the research on affect and parenting in nonclinical samples. Design. The authors conducted analyses on the overall mean effect size for 63 studies (k = 18,211). Affect was coded as either positive or negative, and parenting behavior was coded as either supportive-positive or harsh-negative. Moderators included definition of affect, time frame of measurement, reporter, child age, and parent gender. Results. The authors' analyses support the association between parental affect and parenting behavior, and this relation was consistent across types of affect and parenting, as well as gender of parent. Significant methodological moderators of these relations include time frame match and reporter match. Child age moderated the relation between negative affect and supportive-positive parenting, but not harsh-negative parenting. Last, both negative and positive affect showed specificity in their association with parenting behavior. Conclusion. Parental affect appears to be a reliable correlate of parenting behaviors in the general population. In addition, consistent with theory (T. Dix, 1991), negative affect was more strongly related to hostile parenting, and positive affect was more strongly related to supportive parenting. Methodological factors, such as time frame of measurement and reporter, as well as demographic variables, should be carefully considered in the design and interpretation of future studies of parental affect and parenting behaviors.

Theory and research suggest that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may mediate the relationship between child sexual abuse and adult sexual assault. However, little empirical research has examined the mediational role of PTSD. In the present study, the authors use structural equation modeling to examine the degree to which the three symptom clusters that define PTSD (reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal) contribute to sexual revictimization. To assess PTSD symptomatology, undergraduate women completed questionnaires (N = 1,449), which detailed the history and severity of childhood and adult sexual assault experiences. Results indicated that PTSD mediated sexual revictimization. When PTSD symptom clusters were examined individually, only the hyperarousal cluster was a significant mediator. Results are discussed in terms of information-processing mechanisms that may underlie sexual revictimization.