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

NIH RePORTER · NIH · R01 · $622,612 · view on reporter.nih.gov ↗

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
9959457
Project number
5R01HD093665-03
Recipient
TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
Principal Investigator
Julia M Fleckman
Activity code
R01
Funding institute
NIH
Fiscal year
2020
Award amount
$622,612
Award type
5
Project period
2018-09-10 → 2023-06-30