Evidence-Based Parenting Program to Develop Emotional Competences

Objective: The main objective of this study is to gain evidence on to what extent parents can benefit from taking part in the Program-Guide to Develop Emotional, Educational and Parenting Competences devoted to enhance... [ view full abstract ]

Objective: The main objective of this study is to gain evidence on to what extent parents can benefit from taking part in the Program-Guide to Develop Emotional, Educational and Parenting Competences devoted to enhance emotional and parenting competences (Martínez, 2009).Method: Information was analysed from 259 parents participating in 26 editions of the Program-Guide delivered in 26 urban and rural municipalities placed in central, east and west areas of Asturias (Spain). The parents' educational background was taken as possible moderator variable of the results. A pre-experimental correlated pretest-posttest design was carried out with short-term measures. Factors affecting both the internal and external validity of the design were taken into account. The Emotional and Social Parenting Competence Scale included in the Program-Guide was applied in the first and the last sessions as pretest and posttest. The Cronbach Alpha of the total scale once applied to the 259 participants was.727 for the pretest and .814 for the posttest. For the purpose of this presentation a selection of items of the dimensions "Strategies to solve conflicts and to negotiate" and "Strategies to fix coherent norms, limits and consequences to promote positive discipline" were analyzed. Repeated measures analysis for matched groups was performed through SPSS; significant statistical differences were checked in the extent parents gained the parenting competences under study. The effect size was calculated through R2 and Cohen's d.
Results: The results obtained shown significant statistical differences between the pretest and the posttest in the items analysed (p < .05). The effect size ranged from medium-moderate to large.
Conclusions: Evidence was gathered of the effectiveness of the Program-Guide when delivered by trained professionals from social services and education with groups of parents with children of diverse developmental stages. Prevention efforts through delivering parenting programs should be invested to promote healthy family functioning and child well-being.