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Like parent, like child. A health promoting hospital project
1Department of Health Promotion, Grand River Hospital, P.O. Box 9056, Kitchener, Ont., Canada N2G 1G3. ted_mavor@grhosp.on.ca
Insights
This study developed a prenatal education module to prevent children from learning violence. The program aims to reduce abusive behaviors by teaching expectant parents positive conflict resolution skills.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Child Development
- Parenting Education
Background:
- Health promotion initiatives can decrease hospital service demand.
- Children learn behaviors, including violence, through observation of adults.
- Intergenerational patterns of behavior are influenced by parental modeling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an education module for prenatal instructors.
- To prevent the learning of violence as acceptable behavior in infants.
- To reduce abusive behaviors in expectant parents through awareness.
Main Methods:
- A health promoting hospital partnered with its community.
- Developed a prenatal instructors' education module.
- Focused on parental modeling and awareness of behavior transmission.
Main Results:
- The module aims to equip parents with skills to avoid abusive behaviors.
- Addresses the lack of positive conflict and stress resolution skills.
- Potential for broad application in high-risk groups and diverse settings.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal education can be a key health promotion strategy.
- Parental modeling awareness programs can mitigate intergenerational violence.
- The program has potential for scalability in various community settings.
Abstract:
One way to reduce the need and demand for hospital services is via health promotion initiatives. A prenatal instructors' education module preventing the learning of violence as acceptable behaviour by children in their first year of life was developed by a health promoting hospital in partnership with its community. Children learn through observing significant adults in their life. Parents are important influences on the children's behaviour, and good (or bad) patterns are passed on from generation to generation. Some abuse occurs because people (primarily males) lack the skills to resolve conflict and stress in a positive way and resort to abuse. The project's intent is to help expectant parents reduce abusive behaviours. This parental modelling awareness program has the potential to be introduced into different high risk groups, day-care centres and multicultural settings.