Individual and group based parenting programmes for improving psychosocial outcomes for teenage parents and their children

Abstract

Background Parenting programmes are a potentially important means of supporting teenage parents and improving outcomes for their children, and parenting support is a priority across most Western countries. This review updates the previous version published in 2001. Objectives To examine the effectiveness of parenting programmes in improving psychosocial outcomes for teenage parents and developmental outcomes in their children. Search methods We searched to find new studies for this updated review in January 2008 and May 2010 in CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, ASSIA, CINAHL, DARE, ERIC, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts and Social Science Citation Index. The National Research Register (NRR) was last searched in May 2005 and UK Clinical Research Network Portfolio Database in May 2010. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials assessing short-term parenting interventions aimed specifically at teenage parents and a control group (no-treatment, waiting list or treatment-as-usual). Data collection and analysis We assessed the risk of bias in each study. We standardised the treatment effect for each outcome in each study by dividing the mean difference in post-intervention scores between the intervention and control groups by the pooled standard deviation. Main results We included eight studies with 513 participants, providing a total of 47 comparisons of outcome between intervention and control conditions. Nineteen comparisons were statistically significant, all favouring the intervention group. We conducted nine meta-analyses using data from four studies in total (each meta-analysis included data from two studies). Four meta-analyses showed statistically significant findings favouring the intervention group for the following outcomes: parent responsiveness to the child post-intervention (SMD −0.91, 95% CI −1.52 to −0.30, P = 0.04); infant responsiveness to mother at follow-up (SMD −0.65, 95% CI −1.25 to −0.06, P = 0.03); and an overall measure of parent-child interactions post-intervention (SMD −0.71, 95% CI −1.31 to −0.11, P = 0.02), and at follow-up (SMD −0.90, 95% CI −1.51 to −0.30, P = 0.004). The results of the remaining five meta-analyses were inconclusive. Authors’ conclusions Variation in the measures used, the included populations and interventions, and the risk of bias within the included studies limit the conclusions that can be reached. The findings provide some evidence to suggest that parenting programmes may be effective in improving a number of aspects of parent-child interaction both in the short- and long-term, but further research is now needed.

Family ties: Maternal-offspring attachment and young adult nonmedical prescription opioid use

“…The findings suggest that family substance use prevention interventions may need to work with families as a unit in order to have an impact on nonmedical prescription opioid use. Further, parenting programs that work with young parents to improve psychosocial and developmental outcomes in parents and children may be a promising strategy to prevent offspring nonmedical prescription opioid use by promoting a closer parent-offspring relationship (Barlow et al, 2011; Scharfe, 2011). …”

A cluster randomised controlled trial and process evaluation of the early years DELTA parenting programme

“…Parenting programmes can help to improve: parent responsiveness; parent child interactions and parenting confidence (Barlow, Smailagic, Huband, Roloff & Bennett, 2014). They have been shown to contribute to a reduction in negative parenting practices, parent anxiety and depression (Barlow, Coren, & Stewart-Brown, 2003;Barlow, Smailagic, Bennett, Huband, Jones, & Coren, 2011;Furlong, McGilloway, Bywater, Hutchings, Smith, Donnelly & O'Neill, 2012) as well as positively impact on the emotional and behavioural adjustment of children (Barlow, Smailagic, Ferriter, Bennett, & Jones, 2010;. Over the past decade there has been a new sense of urgency around the importance of promoting healthy family and parenting practices.…”

Group-Based Parenting Programs for Improving Parenting and Psychosocial Functioning: A Systematic Review

“…Some programs provide parents with the skills to change other aspects of parental psychosocial functioning such as marital relations (Todres & Bunston, 1993). Indirect mechanisms include the potential effect on parental well-being of improvements in their child's emotional and behavioral functioning; these improvements often occur as a result of increasing a parent's skills and capacity to support the child's physical and emotional development (e.g., see Barlow et al, 2011;Dretze et al, 2005).…”