Mitigating the risk of child abuse and neglect with a two-generation program: Enhancing parenting and promoting early child development

Objectives: Child maltreatment has detrimental effects on children’s emotional and behavioral development, and can cycle through generations, destroying families and societies. The Nurturing Parenting Program aims to reduce... [ view full abstract ]

Objectives:
Child maltreatment has detrimental effects on children’s emotional and behavioral development, and can cycle through generations, destroying families and societies. The Nurturing Parenting Program aims to reduce the incidence of intergenerational abuse and neglect for children in high risk populations. The Nurturing Parenting Program can be used with: (a) families in need of treatment for child abuse and/or neglect; (b) families high-risk for child abuse and/or neglect; and (c) families seeking to improve their parenting skills. Parents are provided with opportunities to strengthen parenting skills and develop more nurturing patterns in order to support development of family strength and resilience.
Methods:
Between April 2014 and March 2015, 54 low-income families completed the 16-week Nurturing Parenting Program in a community setting in Western Canada. Parental risk for child abuse was measured using the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2nd edition (AAPI-2), parenting skills were measured using the Nurturing Skills Competency Scale (NSCS), and child development was measured using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires-3rd edition (ASQ-3). Paired sample t-tests were used to compare pretest and posttest scores on measures of parental risk for child abuse, and on parenting skills. Child development was measured across five domains, including Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Problem Solving and Personal-Social.
Results:
The mean age of mothers was 33 years (range 20 - 51) and 45% of them were partnered. More than 40% experienced abuse inside or outside their homes as children. The mean age of children was 12.4 months (range 2 - 34). Following completion of the program, parents demonstrated statistically significant decreases in risk for child abuse and increases in parenting skills. ASQ-3 scores also showed statically significant differences in all domains except Communication.
Conclusions:
The Nurturing Parenting Program decreased the risk for child maltreatment, improved parenting skills, and positively affected child development in these low-income families.