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Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Detecting effects of the indicated prevention Programme for Externalizing Problem behaviour (PEP) on child symptoms,
Charlotte Hanisch1, Inez Freund-Braier, Christopher Hautmann
1University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf, Germany. charlotte.hanisch@fh-duesseldorf.de
Insights
The Prevention Programme for Externalizing Problem behaviour (PEP) training improved disruptive child behavior and parenting skills. Positive effects were strongest for parents attending at least half the training sessions.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Interventions
Background:
- Behavioral parent training enhances parenting competence, effectively reducing disruptive behavior in preschoolers.
- The Prevention Programme for Externalizing Problem behaviour (PEP) is a group training for parents and teachers of children aged 3-6 with externalizing behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess PEP's impact on child behavior, parenting practices, parent-child interactions, and parental quality of life.
Main Methods:
- 155 children's parents and teachers were randomized into intervention (n=91) or control (n=64) groups.
- Child behavior, parenting practices, and quality of life were assessed pre- and post-training.
- Parent-child interactions were video-recorded and analyzed for warmth during play.
Main Results:
- Mothers in the intervention group reported fewer disruptive child behaviors and improved parenting strategies.
- Increased parental warmth was observed during parent-child interactions in the intervention group.
- Kindergarten teachers also reported fewer behavior problems in children whose parents attended PEP.
Conclusions:
- PEP training demonstrated positive effects on child behavior and parenting.
- Attending at least half of the PEP training sessions correlated with the most significant positive outcomes for parents.
Background:
Behavioural parent training is effective in improving child disruptive behavioural problems in preschool children by increasing parenting competence. The indicated Prevention Programme for Externalizing Problem behaviour (PEP) is a group training programme for parents and kindergarten teachers of children aged 3-6 years with externalizing behavioural problems.
Aims:
To evaluate the effects of PEP on child problem behaviour, parenting practices, parent-child interactions, and parental quality of life.
Method:
Parents and kindergarten teachers of 155 children were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 91) and a nontreated control group (n = 64). They rated children's problem behaviour before and after PEP training; parents also reported on their parenting practices and quality of life. Standardized play situations were video-taped and rated for parent-child interactions, e.g. parental warmth.
Results:
In the intention to treat analysis, mothers of the intervention group described less disruptive child behaviour and better parenting strategies, and showed more parental warmth during a standardized parent-child interaction. Dosage analyses confirmed these results for parents who attended at least five training sessions. Children were also rated to show less behaviour problems by their kindergarten teachers.
Conclusions:
Training effects were especially positive for parents who attended at least half of the training sessions.
Abbreviations:
CBCL: Child Behaviour Checklist; CII: Coder Impressions Inventory; DASS: Depression anxiety Stress Scale; HSQ: Home-situation Questionnaire; LSS: Life Satisfaction Scale; OBDT: observed behaviour during the test; PCL: Problem Checklist; PEP: prevention programme for externalizing problem behaviour; PPC: Parent Problem Checklist; PPS: Parent Practices Scale; PS: Parenting Scale; PSBC: Problem Setting and Behaviour checklist; QJPS: Questionnaire on Judging Parental Strains; SEFS: Self-Efficacy Scale; SSC: Social Support Scale; TRF: Caregiver-Teacher Report Form.
