Enhancing parenting skills for parents with mental illness: the Mental Health Positive Parenting Program

To determine the effect of the Mental Health Positive Parenting Program (MHPPP) on parenting practices of parents reporting a mental health problem.

A prospective before-and-after examination of positive parenting skills and parent-reported child outcomes among parents of children aged 2-10 years who had self-reported a mental health problem. One hundred and eleven (85.4%) of 130 parents who commenced the MHPPP completed the program. Of these, 77.5% (n = 86) completed both before- and after-intervention measures. The MHPPP was conducted across four community health centres.

A 10-week intervention was tailored to parents with a mental health problem. The intervention was divided into a 6-week group parenting program based on the Positive Parenting Program and four weekly home visits.

Parental discipline practices and children's behaviour were measured by the Parenting Scale (PS) and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), respectively.

Following the MHPPP, parents scored significantly lower on each of the PS subscales: laxness (Z = - 6.23; P < 0.001), over-reactivity (Z = - 7.15; P < 0.001) and verbosity (Z = - 6.59; P < 0.001); and significantly lower on both ECBI subscales: intensity (Z = - 7.08, P < 0.001) and problem (Z = - 7.57; P < 0.001).

Our findings suggest the MHPPP can reduce the number of dysfunctional parenting strategies and parent-reported child behavioural problems. The MHPPP is a promising avenue for early intervention in this population.