# Longitudinal follow-up of brief parenting interventions to reduce risk of child physical maltreatment in a selected population

> **NIH NIH R01** · TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA · 2022 · $576,996

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: There is a lack of evidence-based, universally accessible parenting
education that teaches alternatives to corporal punishment (CP) and other forms of harsh parenting in order to
reduce risk of child physical maltreatment (CPM) and promote child well-being. Our long-term goal is to
strengthen the evidence base for brief, widely adaptable and sustainable interventions designed to reduce
CPM risk in both broad selected and universal populations. The objective of this study is to test the sustained
effects of two such interventions, Triple P-Level 2 (L2) and Play Nicely, and to assess their mechanisms of
effect using a mixed methods approach. The central hypothesis is that each intervention will be more effective
in improving parent and child outcomes than the control condition at 1-year follow-up. The rationale for this
study is to fill a critical gap in research on primary prevention parenting interventions that target universal and
broad selected populations and that can be applied within primary care and other family service settings to
reduce rates of CPM. We plan to test our central hypothesis by pursuing a mixed methods approach via three
specific aims: (1) To establish sustained effects (1 year) of two brief parenting interventions on parenting
behaviors and child outcomes; (2) To establish the sustained effects (1 year) of two brief parenting
interventions on perceived injunctive norms about CP and support for CP use; (3) To gain an in-depth
understanding of the impacts of the interventions on parents’ choices of discipline strategies, their reasons for
choosing them, and relevant social contexts. Aims 1 and 2 will be accomplished by leveraging an existing
randomized controlled trial that has demonstrated short-term (3-month follow-up) effects. Aim 3, the qualitative
phase, will explore reasons for, and barriers to, the interventions' effectiveness, and examine the larger context
in which parents discipline their children. The approach is innovative because it addresses an unmet need for
accessible, evidence-based universal and broad selective parenting education that can be widely disseminated
through primary care and other family service settings. Furthermore, by using a mixed methods approach, it
will contribute to a greater understanding of important mechanisms, barriers, and facilitators of program effects.
The proposed research is significant because it is expected to provide critical evidence for two brief parenting
interventions: Play Nicely and Triple P-L2. First, we expect to find sustained effects of reduced harsh parenting
risks, including parental approval for and use of CP, as well as improved child outcomes. Additionally, we
expect to gain insight into relevant mechanisms, barriers, facilitators, and social contexts relevant to these
interventions and related to CP use. Together, these findings are expected to contribute to a needed rigorous
evidence base for parenting education scalable to universal...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10449334
- **Project number:** 5R01HD093665-05
- **Recipient organization:** TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
- **Principal Investigator:** Julia M Fleckman
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $576,996
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-10 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10449334

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10449334, Longitudinal follow-up of brief parenting interventions to reduce risk of child physical maltreatment in a selected population (5R01HD093665-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10449334. Licensed CC0.

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