Effective intervention programming: improving maternal adjustment through parent education

Jaelyn R Farris1, Shannon S Carothers Bert, Jody S Nicholson

  • 1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State Harrisburg, 777 W. Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA 17057, USA. jfarris@psu.edu

This study assessed the secondary effects of a parent training intervention program on maternal adjustment, with a focus on understanding ways in which program efficacy differed for participants as a function of whether or not their children had behavior problems. Mothers (N = 99) of toddlers (2-3 years of age) were randomly assigned to receive one of three levels of intervention: (1) informational booklet (2) booklet + face-to-face parent training sessions, or (3) booklet + web-based parent training sessions. Findings indicated that all levels of intervention were associated with increases in maternal well-being for participants with typically developing children. Mothers of toddlers with behavior problems, however, did not benefit from receiving only the booklet but significantly benefitted from receiving either the face-to-face or web-based interventions. Findings are discussed in terms of efficient and efficacious program dissemination and the resulting implications for public policy.

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