Virtual parenting education due to COVID-19: What is working, for whom, and in what context?

• In Event: The Cascading Educational Impacts of COVID-19

Abstract

Responsive and sensitive adult-child relationships are critical for growth and development (Lurie-Hurvitz, 2009). Parent-child interactions influence brain development, mental health, academic achievement, self-esteem, behavior, and social competence (Glasser & Heath, 2004). Parenting education promotes skill-building for supportive, consistent parent-child interactions (Glasser & Heath, 2004). Traditionally, parenting education programs are implemented in group settings. The disruption of COVID-19 (Dong et al., 2020) led to a rapid transition to virtual implementation that while challenging, created opportunities for innovative engagement with families. This study focuses on a statewide parenting education network supported through foundation funding in partnership with a public university with aims to increase access to and normalize parenting education. This network of Parenting Hubs supports ongoing data collection (from 3,000 families annually), providing a unique opportunity to study the impact of COVID-19 on type and availability of parenting education programs, accessibility, and parenting outcomes. This study compares accessibility of parenting education programs within the Parenting Hubs network pre/during-COVID-19 to better understand what works, for whom, along with associated changes in parenting outcomes. RQ1: How do numbers of programs offered (evidence-based parenting education series/workshops) and number of participants (completing at least one session or >70% of a series) compare before and after the onset of COVID-19? RQ2: How do participant demographics (SES, gender, race, marital status, age and number of children) compare pre/during-COVID-19? RQ3: How does change in parenting practices compare pre/during-COVID-19? Data are collected through Parenting Hubs quarterly. We currently have data through July 2020 (Q3 data due October 2020, Q1 data due January 2021). Measures include numbers of programs, participation, and parenting outcomes on a 12-item pre-post retrospective measure (Parenting Skills Ladder [PSL]; Pratt et al., 2014). Analyses will start once we receive 2021 Q1 data. RQ1: Descriptively compare the number of programs offered (pre-COVID: N=344 parenting series; N=458 workshops) and number of participants reached pre/during-COVID-19 (March-December 2019/March-December 2020). RQ2: Compare percentages of participants reached pre-/during-COVID-19 across demographic categories using Chi-squared tests. RQ3: Conduct regression analyses to compare outcomes on aggregated PSL post-test scores (2019 N=3,217; 2020 as of September N=918), controlling for pretest scores, pre/during-COVID-19 status, and demographics. We anticipate decreased programming given the pandemic context and lack of support for virtual implementation. However, we expect that remote implementation will result in more participants and greater completion rates given increased accessibility (RQ1). We anticipate increased demographic diversity of participants (RQ2) and expect patterns of variability in pre-post gains on the PSL (RQ3). Past studies have found consistent positive impacts across demographics (e.g., Finders et al., 2016). Given the virtual setting and expected increased diversity, positive gains may not be reported as consistently during COVID-19 as pre-COVID-19. Results have implications for in-person, virtual, and hybrid models of parenting education implementation during and beyond the pandemic. Our findings will provide information associated with what is working, for whom, and in what context to inform systems of parenting education support.

Authors

• Svea Olsen, Oregon State University - Corvallis
  Presenting Author

• Shauna L Tominey, Oregon State University - Corvallis
  Non-Presenting Author

• Michaella Sektnan, Oregon State University
  Non-Presenting Author