Scaling Up Parenting Interventions is Critical for Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Family Studies
• Global Health

Background:

• Parenting quality is a critical, modifiable factor influencing child development and mental health.
• Parenting skills are fundamental for children to achieve life skills necessary for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To argue the fundamental link between parenting and the development of life skills for achieving SDGs.
• To discuss principles for a global research and implementation agenda for scaling up evidence-based parenting support programs.
• To highlight the relevance of parenting interventions for global SDG attainment and discuss barriers and strategies for scale-up.

Main Methods:

• Review of 50 years of research on parenting support programs.
• Analysis of evidence for the impact of parenting interventions on developmental, emotional, behavioral, and health outcomes.
• Identification of barriers and strategies for scaling up parenting support programs globally.

Main Results:

• Parenting support programs, regardless of intensity or modality, improve parent and child outcomes.
• Positive findings are replicated across diverse cultural and socioeconomic samples, primarily in Western countries.
• Evidence supports the relevance of parenting interventions for achieving SDGs worldwide.

Conclusions:

• Parenting quality is paramount for children's life skills and achieving global Sustainable Development Goals.
• Scaling up evidence-based parenting support programs requires addressing identified barriers and implementing strategic approaches.
• The COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges and opportunities for delivering parenting support.