Mediators and moderators of change in dysfunctional parenting in a school‐based universal application of the Triple‐P Positive Parenting Programme
| Date | 01 June 2007 |
| Published date | 01 June 2007 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17466660200700002 |
| Pages | 4-17 |
| Author | Philippa McTaggart,Matthew Sanders |
| Subject Matter | Education,Health & social care,Sociology |
4
1Clinic Manager,
Child and Family
Psychology Clinic,
Parenting and Family
SupportCentre,
University of
Queensland,
Australia
2Director, Parenting
and Family Support
Centre, University of
Queensland,
Australia
Journal of Children’s Services
Volume 2 Issue 1 June 2007
©Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
Abstract
The present study examined the role of socio–demographic and family risk factors as mediators or
moderators of the success of parents undertaking a universal group parent training programme for young
children. The results showed that parents’ capacity to change dysfunctional parenting practices was not
moderated bythe child’sgender,family income, family type, or pre-intervention level of parental stress,
but was partially mediated by changes in parental satisfaction and efficacy. Irrespective of their
socio–demographic background, parents who completed the Triple-PPositive Parenting Programme were
equally likely to succeed in changing their parenting practices. These findings suggest the robustness of
intervention effects across a diverse range of parents.
Key words
parent training; prevention; conduct problems; mediation; moderation
Introduction
Behavioural family intervention (BFI) based on social
learning principles can produce significant and lasting
change in child conduct problems (Beauchaine,
Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2005; McNeil et al,1991;
Patterson & Fleischman, 1979; Sanders et al,2000;
Webster-Stratton, 1984). The Triple-P Positive
Parenting Programme developed by Sanders and
colleagues (Sanders, 1999) is an example of a multi-
level system of parenting interventions that has been
evaluated extensively in multiple randomised clinical
trials. Triple-P is designed as a multi-level system of
intervention and has group, individual, telephone
assisted, and self-directed versions that have been
shown to be effective in teaching parents positive
parenting skills and in reducing coercive discipline
practices (Ireland, Sanders & Markie-Dadds, 2003;
Leung et al,2003; Sanders, 1999; Zubrick et al,2005).
While the efficacy of parenting interventions,
specifically Triple-P, is well established, the
mechanisms through which the improvements in
parenting style occur are not so clearly known.
Community-based implementation of parenting
programmes provides an opportunity to test the
causal status of parenting and other family risk factors
in contributing to child conduct problems, and to
investigate the mechanisms that are hypothesised to
mediate and moderate intervention effects obtained.
In determining the impact that a certain variable
(eg. exposureto BFI) has on the outcome of interest
(eg. changes in parenting style) it is important to
Mediators and moderators of
change in dysfunctional parenting
in a school-based universal
application of the Triple-P
Positive Parenting Programme
Philippa McTaggart1and Matthew R Sanders2
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