@article {289, title = {Brief psychoeducational parenting program: an evaluation and 1-year follow-up.}, journal = {J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry}, volume = {42}, year = {2003}, month = {2003 Oct}, pages = {1171-8}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: Despite recognition of the need for parenting interventions to prevent childhood behavioral problems, few community programs have been evaluated. This report describes the randomized controlled evaluation of a four-session psychoeducational group for parents of preschoolers with behavior problems, delivered in community agencies.

METHOD: In 1998, 222 primary caregivers, recruited through community ads, filled out questionnaires on parenting practices and child behavior. Parents were randomly assigned to immediate intervention or a wait-list control. The intervention comprised three weekly group sessions and a 1-month booster, the focus being to support effective discipline (using the video 1-2-3 Magic) and to reduce parent-child conflict.

RESULTS: Using an intent-to-treat analysis, repeated-measures analyses of variance indicated that the parents who received the intervention reported significantly greater improvement in parenting practices and a significantly greater reduction in child problem behavior than the control group. The gains in positive parenting behaviors were maintained at 1-year follow-up in a subset of the experimental group.

CONCLUSIONS: This brief intervention program may be a useful first intervention for parents of young children with behavior problems, as it seems both acceptable and reasonably effective.

}, keywords = {Adult, Child Behavior Disorders, Child, Preschool, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Intervention Studies, Male, Parent-Child Relations, Parenting, Patient Education as Topic, Treatment Outcome, Waiting Lists}, issn = {0890-8567}, doi = {10.1097/00004583-200310000-00007}, author = {Bradley, Susan J and Jadaa, Darryle-Anne and Brody, Joel and Landy, Sarah and Tallett, Susan E and Watson, William and Shea, Barbara and Stephens, Derek} }