Mothers, Fathers, and Parental Systems: A Conceptual Model of Parental Engagement in Programmes for Child Mental Health—Connect, Attend, Participate, Enact (CAPE)

Abstract

Parenting programmes are one of the best researched and most effective interventions for reducing child mental health problems. The success of such programmes, however, is largely dependent on their reach and parental engagement. Rates of parental enrolment and attendance are highly variable, and in many cases very low; this is especially true of father involvement in parenting programmes. This paper proposes a conceptual model of parental engagement in parenting programmes—the CAPE model (Connect, Attend, Participate, Enact) that builds on recent models by elaborating on the interdependent stages of engagement, and its interparental or systemic context. That is, we argue that a comprehensive model of parental engagement will best entail a process from connection to enactment of learned strategies in the child’s environment, and involve consideration of individual parents (both mothers and fathers) as well as the dynamics of the parenting team. The model provides a framework for considering parent engagement as well as associated facilitators and mechanisms of parenting change such as parenting skills, self-efficacy, attributions, and the implementation context. Empirical investigation of the CAPE model could be used to further our understanding of parental engagement, its importance for programme outcomes, and mechanisms of change. This will guide future intervention refinement and developments as well as change in clinical practice.

Implementation Evaluation of the Mother‐Child Education Program Among Refugee and Other Vulnerable Communities in Lebanon

“…One enabler to program participation was paternal support. This is consistent with literature in non‐humanitarian contexts where spousal support contributed to maternal participation in parenting programs (Piotrowska et al., ). A limitation of our study was that the father interviews possibly assessed fathers who were already generally engaged and more supportive.…”

Can reciprocated parent–child eye gaze and emotional engagement enhance treatment for children with conduct problems and callous‐unemotional traits: a proof‐of‐concept trial

“…It consists of 10 × 1.5 hr sessions, including assessment and held approximately weekly, that focus on managing child aggression, noncompliance and disruptive behaviour, as well selected modules on parental and marital adjustment. A key part is the inclusion of both mothers and fathers as the parental team (Piotrowska et al., ). Following two initial PMT sessions, the EE and CCP adjunctive interventions were interspersed throughout the remaining PMT sessions in order to maximise cross‐fertilisation of the strategies (Figure ).…”

Toward Father‐friendly Parenting Interventions: A Qualitative Study

“…Relatedly, parenting interventions, which focus on enhancing the quality and consistency of parenting, have positive effects on childhood cognitive, behavioural, health, and education outcomes, particularly for children with behavioural and emotional problems (Comer et al., ; Kaminski & Claussen, ). The success of parenting interventions, however, may depend on the ability to effectively engage both mothers and fathers (Piotrowska et al., ). Evidence suggests that the participation of fathers (along with mothers) in parenting interventions for child behavioural problems can lead to improved outcomes for children (Lundahl, Tollefson, Risser, & Lovejoy, ), yet fathers have low rates of participation (Panter‐Brick et al., ) and the reasons for this are unclear.…”