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Summer Treatment Program for Preschoolers with Externalizing Behavior Problems: a Preliminary Examination of
Paulo A Graziano1, Rosmary Ros2, Katie C Hart2
1Center for Children and Families & Department of Psychology, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, AHC 4 Rm. 459, Miami, FL, 33199, USA. pgrazian@fiu.edu.
Insights
The Summer Treatment Program for Pre-Kindergarteners (STP-PreK) shows promise in improving parenting for preschoolers with externalizing behavior problems (EBP). This intervention led to significant, lasting improvements in parenting stress and discipline strategies.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Parenting Interventions
- Behavioral Therapy
Background:
- Preschoolers with externalizing behavior problems (EBP) often require targeted interventions.
- Parenting practices significantly influence child behavior and development.
- Existing interventions may not fully address the needs of at-risk families.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the Summer Treatment Program for Pre-Kindergarteners (STP-PreK) on parenting outcomes.
- To assess the impact of a Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) adaptation within a group parenting program.
- To examine the long-term maintenance of treatment gains.
Main Methods:
- An open trial design was used with 154 parents and their preschool children at-risk for EBP.
- Parenting stress and discipline strategies were measured via self-report and observation.
- The intervention included a School Readiness Parenting Program (SRPP) utilizing a PCIT adaptation in group sessions.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements were observed in all parenting outcomes post-intervention (Cohen's d = 0.89).
- These improvements in parenting stress and discipline were maintained at 6-9 month follow-up.
- The adapted PCIT approach yielded comparable results to traditional individual PCIT.
Conclusions:
- The STP-PreK's parenting component, an adapted PCIT within the SRPP, shows initial promise for improving parenting outcomes.
- The intervention effectively targets multiple aspects of parenting, leading to sustained positive changes.
- This group-based adaptation offers a viable alternative for enhancing parenting skills in at-risk populations.
Abstract:
Within an at-risk sample of preschoolers with externalizing behavior problems (EBP), the current study examined the initial promise of a multimodal intervention, the Summer Treatment Program for Pre-Kindergarteners (STP-PreK), in improving parenting outcomes. Using an open trial design, 154 parents and their preschool children (73% male; M age = 5.06 years; 82% Hispanic/Latino background) with at-risk or clinically elevated levels of EBP (57% of which were referred by schools or mental health/medical professionals) completed a baseline and post-treatment assessment. A subsample of 90 families completed a follow-up assessment approximately 6 to 9 months after treatment completion. Parental measures of parenting stress and discipline strategies were collected across all three assessments. Observational data were also collected across all assessments during a 5-min standardized child-led play situation and a 5-min parent-led clean up task. The parenting component of the STP-PreK included a School Readiness Parenting Program (SRPP) of which the behavioral management component was implemented via a Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) adaptation (8 weekly group sessions with 15-20 parents in each group, lack of requirement of "mastery" criteria). All parenting outcomes (both ratings and observed) significantly improved after the intervention (Cohen's d mean effect size across measures 0.89) with all effects being maintained at the 6-9 month follow-up. These findings highlight the initial promise of our SRPP's PCIT adaptation in targeting multiple aspects of parenting while yielding comparable parenting skills acquisition compared to traditional individual PCIT.
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