Evidence in promoting positive parenting through the Program-Guide to Develop Emotional Competences

Abstract

This study aims at providing evidence of the effectiveness of the Program-Guide to Develop Emotional Competences in promoting positive parenting. Contextual, institutional, methodological and professional issues were taken into account to develop a social innovation experience to support parenting as a preventive measure to family conflicts. The study describes both the contents of the Program-Guide and the methodological and evaluation issues that trained professionals need to consider when delivering the Program-Guide to families in natural contexts. Information was gathered and analyzed from 259 parents with children of ages 1-18 who participated in 26 parent training groups. A pre-and post-test design showed that after finishing the sessions parents perceived themselves more competent as parents according to the five dimensions of parenting competences considered: (1) emotional self-regulation abilities; (2) self-esteem and assertiveness; (3) communication strategies; (4) strategies to solve conflicts and to negotiate; and (5) strategies to establish coherent norms, limits and consequences to promote positive discipline. The study presents a discussion on these results from evidence-based parenting programs, as well as some strengths and limitations of the study, together with some suggestions for further research.

Validation of the Five-Factor Self-Concept Questionnaire AF5 in Brazil: Testing Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance Across Language (Brazilian and Spanish), Gender, and Age

“…From the positive psychology perspective, in a community sample of adolescents, it was revealed that the most contributing factor to increase the subjective well-being is family self-concept (González-Carrasco et al, 2017). Finally, parenting studies analyzing the influence of parental practices on self-concept in Spain (Fuentes et al, 2015b; Riquelme et al, 2018), other European (Calafat et al, 2014) and Latin-American countries (Peru, Bustos et al, 2015; Carranza and Bermúdez-Jaimes, 2017; Brazil, Martínez et al, 2007; Martínez and García, 2008), and also in the United States (García et al, 2013), have shown that parenting characterized by the use of acceptance and involvement practices is associated with higher levels of self-concept, in several dimensions, than parenting characterized by the use of practices of strictness and imposition (Fuentes et al, 2011a,b; Martínez-González et al, 2016; Martínez et al, 2017, 2019). …”

Desajuste psicosocial en la adolescencia: socialización parental, autoestima y uso de sustancias

“…The decrease in psychosocial competence from early to late adolescence has been related to the increase in the influence of the peer group (Calafat et al, 2014;Dohnt & Tiggemann, 2006;Gardner & Steinberg, 2005;Smith, Chein & Steinberg, 2014;Veiga et al, 2015). Despite the increase in peer group influence, parental socialization continues to function as a fundamental source of protection from this psychosocial vulnerability (Baumrind, 1991;Calafat et al, 2014;Cerezo, Ruiz-Esteban, Lacasa & Gonzalo, 2018;Chan, Kelly, Carroll & Williams, 2017;García & Gracia, 2009;Martínez-González, Rodríguez-Ruiza, Álvarez-Blancoa, & Becedóniz-Vázquez, 2016). After numerous studies, there is still debate in the specialized literature about the best parenting strategy to preserve psychosocial competence throughout the adolescent period.…”

Couple Conflict-facing Responses from a Gender Perspective: Emotional Intelligence as a Differential Pattern

“…Given one of the main explanations of this result lies in the social role theory (Eagly & Wood, 2012), we suggest that, as one part of their overall approach, couples' therapist works on gender socialization processes to demystify gender stereotypes that may underlie human behaviour. Secondly, given the protective role that EI could play in conflict resolution as well as in psychological well-being and relationship's satisfaction, an effective form of treatment for such couples might be working on emotional competences (Martínez, Rodríguez, Álvarez, & Becedóniz, 2016). Specifically, we suggest that an EI training focused on the ability to perceive, regulate, and use the emotions of both partners during an conflict situation enable people how to connect with their partner, discuss their emotional experience, deal with them and, therefore, practice a new form of communication that should improve the couple dynamics (O'Connor et al, 2018).…”