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A Service-Based Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an All-Day Group Parenting Program

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Abstract

Parent training programs such as the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program improve outcomes for both children and parents. However, many parents who need support still do not access parenting programs, with common barriers including time constraints and inconvenience. Group Triple P was designed to be delivered over 8 consecutive weeks, but in response to parent demands has been delivered in an adapted format (All-Day Group Triple P) at the Child and Family Psychology Clinic, the University of Queensland. All-Day Group Triple P consists of an 8-h all-day group followed by 4 weekly telephone calls, which is a more time-efficient and convenient delivery format for parents. This service-based evaluation examines the effectiveness of the Group Triple P when delivered as an all-day group followed by four telephone calls. Retrospective pre-post data from 2001 to 2011 collected during service delivery was analyzed. Participants were 159 mothers and 144 fathers. Significant improvements in child problems, parenting styles, parental adjustment, and parental disagreement were reported, with no improvement in parental relationship quality. Reliable and clinically significant improvements were demonstrated, and high levels of program satisfaction reported. This study highlights the potential benefits of providing more convenient and efficient services in order to reach more families in need.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parenting and Family Support Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Cassandra L. Tellegen & Elspeth Johnston

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  1. Cassandra L. Tellegen
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  2. Elspeth Johnston
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Correspondence to Cassandra L. Tellegen.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. The Triple P-Positive Parenting Program is owned by The University of Queensland (UQ). The University through its main technology transfer company, UniQuest Pty Ltd, has licensed Triple P International Pty Ltd to publish and disseminate the program worldwide. Royalties stemming from published Triple P resources are distributed to the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences at UQ, Parenting and Family Support Centre, School of Psychology at UQ, and contributory authors. No author has any share or ownership in Triple P International Pty Ltd. Cassandra Tellegen is an employee of UQ and a member of the Triple P Research Network. Elspeth Johnston has no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Tellegen, C.L., Johnston, E. A Service-Based Evaluation of the Effectiveness of an All-Day Group Parenting Program. J Child Fam Stud 26, 664–673 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0630-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0630-3

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