Feasibility Study of a Parent Support Intervention to Prevent Child Maltreatment Among Conditional Cash Transfer Families in the Philippines

• In Event: Towards preventing child maltreatment at scale

Abstract

A national study on violence against children in the Philippines recorded high rates of violence against children: 66% experienced physical violence, with 60% of these incidents occurring in the home (Council for the Welfare of Children, 2016). Experiences of psychological violence including verbal abuse were reported by 63% of respondents, with a significant proportion of these cases perpetrated by family members. The negative effects of violence against children are exacerbated in conditions of socioeconomic disadvantage; thus, it is important to develop and test parent support interventions that may reduce abuse against children in the most vulnerable families. In this study, we examine the feasibility of a culturally adapted parent support intervention for low-income families with children ages 2-9 in Metro Manila, Philippines.
The sample included 30 female primary caregivers of children aged 2-9 (Mage = 5.03, SD = 2.20) who were beneficiaries of the Philippine government’s conditional cash transfer system for low-income households. The intervention, named Masayang Pamilya (MaPa) or Happy Family, was culturally adapted from the Parenting for Lifelong Health program previously tested in South Africa (Ward et al., 2020). A pilot randomized controlled trial of MaPa for Kids conducted in 2017 yielded promising results in reducing child maltreatment, but found that the program was too long for optimal inclusion in the cash transfer system. It was thus adapted to a shorter 8-session version, delivered by trained facilitators over 8 weekly group sessions with caregivers. The program’s target outcomes were to reduce the risk of child maltreatment, strengthen the caregiver-child relationship, support caregivers in practicing effective and nonviolent skills, enhance caregiver and child well-being, and reduce problematic child behavior.
The feasibility study for the 8-session program had a pretest-posttest design, with posttest assessments conducted within a month after the program. Trained researchers administered structured one-on-one interviews with caregivers in community centers. The results showed statistically significant and large reductions in overall child maltreatment and moderate decreases in dysfunctional parenting and child problem behaviors. Qualitative data from focus groups conducted with caregivers after the program suggest that caregivers learned better management of child behaviors, became more emotionally attuned to their children’s feelings, endorsed physical and verbal punishment less, and improved their overall relationship with their children. Caregivers appreciated interactions with helpful and effective facilitators, but also raised concerns regarding maintaining attendance in the group sessions and practicing skills at home.
The study underscores the importance of coordinating closely with local community leaders to strengthen ownership and parent engagement in the program. More broadly, the support of national social welfare institutions enables the full integration of parent support interventions in existing services, such as the conditional cash transfer program, thereby institutionalizing violence prevention in the most vulnerable sectors in the Philippines.

Authors

• Liane Peña Alampay, Ateneo de Manila University
  Presenting Author

• Rosanne M. Jocson, Nanyang Technological University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jamie Lachman, Universities of Oxford and Glasgow
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jennel Reyes, Ateneo de Manila University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Erica Kimberly King, Ateneo de Manila University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Bernadette Madrid, Philippines Ambulatory Pediatric Association and University of the Philippines
  Non-Presenting Author

• Catherine Ward, University of Cape Town
  Non-Presenting Author

• Judy Hutchings, Bangor University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Frances Gardner, Wolfson College, Oxford
  Non-Presenting Author