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A randomized controlled trial of a brief versus standard group parenting program for toddler aggression
1School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Insights
Brief parenting interventions effectively reduce toddler physical aggression (PA) and improve parenting skills. Both standard and brief programs showed lasting benefits by follow-up, suggesting shorter formats enhance accessibility.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Physical aggression (PA) in toddlers is common but frequent, persistent PA predicts long-term negative outcomes.
- Parenting interventions are effective but lengthy programs face participation and retention challenges.
- Brief interventions are needed to broaden the reach and impact of parenting support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare a standard (8-session) group Triple P intervention with a brief (3-session) discussion group and a waitlist control.
- To assess the effectiveness of these interventions in reducing toddler PA, dysfunctional parenting, and improving parent functioning.
- To evaluate the long-term efficacy of brief versus standard parenting interventions.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 69 families of toddlers with PA.
- Intervention groups: standard Triple P, brief discussion group, and waitlist control.
- Outcome measures included observed child behavior, parent-reported PA and parenting, self-efficacy, negative affect, and relationship satisfaction, assessed at post-intervention and 6-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- The standard intervention significantly reduced observed child aversive behavior, mother-reported PA, and dysfunctional parenting compared to the waitlist control.
- The standard intervention also increased parent self-efficacy more than the waitlist control.
- While the brief intervention improved parenting over the waitlist, the standard intervention showed greater immediate improvements in dysfunctional parenting. However, at 6-month follow-up, no significant differences were found between the brief and standard intervention groups on any measure.
Conclusions:
- Brief parenting interventions show promise for reducing toddler physical aggression and improving parenting, with comparable long-term outcomes to standard, longer programs.
- Shorter intervention formats may increase accessibility and reduce attrition, making evidence-based parenting support more attainable for families.
- Further research should explore the optimal delivery and content of brief parenting interventions to maximize their reach and impact on child behavior problems.
Abstract:
Physical aggression (PA) in the toddler years is common and developmentally normal, however, longitudinal research shows that frequent PA is highly stable and associated with long-term negative outcomes. Significant research has demonstrated the efficacy of parenting interventions for reducing externalizing behavior in children yet their typical length may overburden families, leading to low participation rates and high attrition rates. To increase the reach of parenting interventions and impact on the prevalence of externalizing behavior problems, brief interventions are needed. This RCT compared a standard (8 session) group Triple P to a brief (3 session) discussion group and a waitlist control for reducing toddler PA, dysfunctional parenting and related aspects of parent functioning. Sixty-nine self-referred families of toddlers with PA were randomized to the respective conditions. At post-assessment, families in the standard intervention had significantly lower levels of observed child aversive behavior, mother reports of PA and dysfunctional parenting, and higher levels of mother- and partner-rated behavioral self-efficacy than the waitlist control. Families in the standard intervention also had significantly lower levels mother-rated dysfunctional parenting than the brief intervention, and the brief intervention had significantly lower levels of mother-rated dysfunctional parenting than waitlist. There were no significant group differences at post-assessment for measures of parental negative affect or satisfaction with the partner relationship. By 6 month follow-up, families in the brief and standard intervention did not differ significantly on any measure. The implications of the findings to delivery of brief parenting interventions are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 43:291-303, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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