Publication year
2001
Citation Title
Impact of parent training on family functioning.
Journal Name
Child & Family Behavior Therapy
Journal Volume
23
Issue Number
1
Page Numbers
29-42
DOI
10.1300/J019v23n01_03
Summary
Parent training programs can be beneficial to improving family functioning. Two groups of parents whose children were receiving mental health treatment participated in the study. The experimental group completed the eight-week parent training program, whereas the control group did not. Results revealed that parents who received parent training were more likely to report improvement in their family functioning.
Key Findings
Parents in the training group reported significantly better results in family functioning such as problem solving, affective responsiveness, communication, and behavior control compared to the control group.
Significantly more families in the parent training group moved from problematic to healthy functioning compared to the control group.
For both the training and control groups, parents of children over 10 years old reported more family distress than parents of children under 10 years old.
Implications for Military Professionals
Collaborate with civilian parent education programs to make the service more accessible for military families
Teach military families about strategies that they can use to improve family functioning
Implications for Program Leaders
Disseminate information to military families regarding available parent training programs
Offer support groups to military parents whose children are experiencing mental health issues
Implications for Policy Makers
Promote the development of parent training programs that are tailored to the special needs of military families
Recommend education for providers working with military families regarding parenting strategies they can teach these families
Methods
Families were recruited from two outpatient mental health clinics serving a working class population.
Parents were randomly assigned to two groups: the parent training group that lasted for eight weeks (four hours per week), and the control group; the retention rates for the two groups were 78% and 70%, respectively.
All participants completed pre-tests and post-tests that measured six domains of family functioning: problem solving, communication, roles, affective responsiveness, affective involvement, and behavior control.
The target child was defined as the child living at home with the most severe behavior problems.
Participants
The parent training group included 39 parents (mean age = 32.66 years, SD = 6.35, 77% female), whereas the control group included 35 parents (mean age = 34.95 years, SD = 9.42, 62% female).
The average ages of the target children in the parent training and control groups were 9.78 years (SD = 3.95, 38% female), and 9.95 years (SD = 3.07, 48% female), respectively.
The race/ethnicity of the participants were not indicated in the article.
Limitations
The race/ethnicity of the participants were not indicated in the article, therefore the generalizability of the study is unclear.
The article did not indicate for what reasons the children were receiving mental health treatments, and how severe their problems were, therefore the results may not be applied to the general population.
Children in the study were all receiving mental health services, so the results cannot be generalized to children who are not receiving mental health treatment.
Avenues for Future Research
Recruit parents whose children are not receiving mental health treatment, so the results may be applicable to the general population
Assess both parents’ and children’s perceptions of the parenting-treatment program
Design different parenting treatment programs that are suitable for children of different ages
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
This study examined outcomes of a STEP parent training program in several areas of family functioning identified by the so-called McMaster model of family health. The study found that participants who completed the parent training did report more improvements in general family functioning than those families whose children received routine mental health services. More specific improvements in family relationships were reported in the areas of problem solving, communication, affective responsiveness, and behavior control. Some differential effects were found for children older than 10 years of age. These improvements were also evaluated to determine their clinical significance, by examining how many families moved from problematic to healthy functioning. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Abstract Document
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