Poster #132 - Confident Parents for Easier Children

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

This study presents the effects on child’s behavior of Confident Parents, a focused parenting program targeting Parental Self-Efficacy (PSE). Numerous studies show a relation between child behavior and parental cognition, among which PSE, defined as beliefs parents hold of their capacity to parent a child (Coleman & Karraker, 2003). Parents with low self-efficacy tend to use more coercive and harsh parenting than parents with a higher level of self-efficacy, who use more positive parenting such as warmth, sensitivity, positive affect, consistency or rule setting (Johnston & Mash, 1989; Teti & Gelfand, 1991). Children of low self-efficacy parents tend to be more difficult, with higher negativity and non-compliance (de Haan, Prinzie, & Deković, 2009; Leerkes & Crockenberg, 2002).
Confident Parents was experimentally tested on 80 parents of 3-6 year-old children with moderate to clinical levels of Externalizing Behavior (EB). 37 parents participated in the program, and were compared with a waitlist control group (n=43). The content of Confident Parents was based on Bandura’s social learning theory, assuming that self-efficacy can be manipulated. Social learning theory (Bandura, 1989) holds that self-efficacy is rooted in individual factors (e.g., personal history of accomplishment, emotional arousal and its physiological impact) as well as in contextual factors (e.g., verbal feedback from others, social comparisons). Performance accomplishments are the strongest source of PSE, followed by vicarious experience (an evaluation process based on seeing others perform), verbal persuasion and emotional arousal. In parenting, PSE depends on parents’ past and actual experience with their children (successes and failures) and on the emotional arousal this experience may induce. Feedback from others (in particular comments from relatives, teachers, doctors, friends, etc.) and social comparison with other parents are also strong contributors. Based on these sources, the intervention consisted of eight weekly group sessions with seven to eleven parents, including mothers and fathers (75% and 25% respectively).
Effect sizes were evaluated through observational (Crowell procedure, (Crowell & Feldman, 1988) and parent-report measures on child behavior (CBCL, (Achenbach, 2010) and PSE (EGSCP, (Meunier & Roskam, 2009) at pretest, post-test and a four-month follow-up. Through a hierarchical lineal modeling, predictors of the change in child behavior were identified. Results show that Confident Parents improved PSE (intragroup Cohen’s d= 0.75 at post test; 1.35 at follow up; interaction Time x Group F(1,77)=3.89, p<.05). It also improved child behavior reported by parents (intragroup Cohen’s d= 0.62 at post-test; 0.92 at follow-up; Interaction Time x group p>.05 ). To a lesser extent, it affected child behavior when observed in interaction with the parent (intragroup Cohen’s d= 0.15 for free play and frustration tasks at post-test; intragroup Cohen’s d= 0.09 for free play and d=0.14 for frustration tasks at follow-up; interaction time x group significant in frustration tasks F(1,77)=5.50 but not in free play). The change in PSE appears as the most significant predictor of this reduction in child EB reported by parents but not observed child behavior. These results illustrate that focusing a parenting program on improving PSE is worthy of investigation in parenting intervention research.

Authors

• benedicte mouton, University of Amsterdam
  Presenting Author

• Isabelle Roskam, Université catholique de Louvain
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laurie Loop, University of Louvain
  Non-Presenting Author

• Marie Stievenart, University of Liege
  Non-Presenting Author