Group-based parent training programmes for improving emotional and behavioural adjustment in young children

Abstract

The findings of this review, which relate to the broad group of universal and at-risk (targeted) children and parents, provide tentative support for the use of group-based parenting programmes to improve the overall emotional and behavioural adjustment of children with a maximum mean age of three years and 11 months, in the short-term. There is, however, a need for more research regarding the role that these programmes might play in the primary prevention of both emotional and behavioural problems, and their long-term effectiveness.

Identifying Patterns of Emotional and Behavioural Problems in Preschool children : Facilitating Early Detection

“…Several studies have shown that group-based parent support programmes can improve emotional and behavioural problems in preschool children. However, the long-term efficacy of these programmes is uncertain, as are their primary prevention effects (Barlow, Bergman, Kornør, Wei & Bennett, 2016;O'Brien & Daley, 2011).…”

“…In summary, preschools and CHC need to cooperate for broad interventions if the child exhibits mental health problems, particularly when so much research highlights the importance of including parents in the intervention (Barlow et al, 2016;Daley et al, 2009;Holland, Malmberg & Peacock 2017;Marklund et al, 2012;O'Brien & Daley, 2011;Oldrup & Vitus, 2011;Petrenko, 2013).…”

Parental Beliefs, Investments, and Child Development: Evidence from a Large-Scale Experiment

“…In LMICs, a recent systematic meta-analysis, on the other hand, finds mean effect sizes in children's language and cognitive outcomes of 0.32 SD for home-based studies, and 0.59 SD for group visit studies (Aboud and Yousafzai 2015). The meta-analyses available in higher income settings are, on average, smaller for cognitive outcomes (with an average effect size of 0.3 SD (Rayce et al 2017), and suggestive evidence of a potential reduction of behavioral problems (Barlow et al 2016;Furlong et al 2012). 5 structured curriculum modeled after the Jamaica experience was added to an existing program delivering weekly group activities and a monthly home visit (Attanasio et al 2018).…”

Protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials examining the effectiveness of early parenting interventions in preventing internalising problems in children and adolescents. 

“…Only studies of parents who presented with depressive symptoms (selective prevention) were included (55), thereby excluding parents with other forms of psychopathology or parents without mental health problems (universal prevention). Other systematic reviews have limited their focus to interventions conducted in single countries and or to one type of intervention (e.g., Filene et al, 2013(57) only included US studies and home-visitation programmes), excluded internalising problems (56) or mental health problems in general(57) as outcomes, or focused exclusively on group-based rather than individual parenting interventions (52).…”