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Conscious Parenting: A Qualitative Study on Swedish Parents’ Motives to Participate in a Parenting Program

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Abstract

Triple P is a parenting program that aims to prevent behavioral, emotional, and developmental problems in children. Because Triple P is a new parenting program in Sweden, it is important to see how parents felt about the intervention. The aim of this study was to find out why parents of preschool children chose to participate in Triple P in Sweden, what they thought of the Triple P curriculum, and how the program related to their parenting philosophy in general. This is a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with seven mothers and three fathers who participated in Triple P. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analysed using Malterud’s method of Systematic Text Condensation. Parents chose to participate in Triple P for several reasons: they wanted to learn more about the intervention; they had specific problems that they sought help for; or they felt encouraged to participate due to advertisements and recommendations from friends. Of the Triple P curriculum, the participants especially enjoyed the “directed discussion” technique, the positive reinforcement sections, and the instructions on how to communicate effectively with their child by staying calm, close, and maintaining eye contact. It was important for many of the parents to feel validated and respected, and they liked having discussions with the preschool teacher rather than being told what to do. Parents in this Swedish sample generally liked and selectively used the strategies they learned from participating in Triple P, depending on how well these fit with their own parenting experiences and philosophy.

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Acknowledgments

The research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Public Health, grant number HSÅ 2008/214. We wish to thank Pär Bokström for helping to analyze the interviews and supervising the research project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University, Dragarbrunnsgatan 70, SHS Vårdcentrum Box 609, 751 25, Uppsala, Sweden

    Johanna Rahmqvist, Michael B. Wells & Anna Sarkadi

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  1. Johanna Rahmqvist
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  2. Michael B. Wells
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  3. Anna Sarkadi
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Correspondence to Michael B. Wells.

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Rahmqvist, J., Wells, M.B. & Sarkadi, A. Conscious Parenting: A Qualitative Study on Swedish Parents’ Motives to Participate in a Parenting Program. J Child Fam Stud 23, 934–944 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9750-1

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