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Early Parenting Intervention: Family Risk and First-time Parenting Related to Intervention Effectiveness

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Abstract

The effects of cumulative risk and parity on the effectiveness of a home based parenting intervention were tested in a randomized controlled trial with 237 families with 1- to 3-year-old children screened for high levels of externalizing behavior. The intervention was aimed at enhancing positive parenting and decreasing externalizing behaviors. The results showed that cumulative risk was not associated with either change in child externalizing behaviors or change in positive parenting. When intervention effectiveness was compared for primiparas (i.e., first-time mothers) versus multiparas (i.e., mothers with more than one child), we found that intervention mothers of first-born children displayed an increase in their use of positive discipline strategies as compared to first-time mothers in the control group, whereas a similar effect for multiparas was absent. Among multiparas we found an intervention effect on sensitivity, with control group mothers showing an increase in sensitivity, whereas the intervention group showed a constant level of sensitivity over time. These results suggest that parity may be a moderator of intervention effectiveness. Implications for investigating moderators of intervention effectiveness are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This study is part of the research project ‘Screening and Intervention of Problem Behavior in Toddlerhood’ (SCRIPT), conducted at the Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, the Netherlands. The study is supported by Grant No. 2200.0097 from Zorg Onderzoek Nederland [The Dutch Organization for Health Research and Development] to Marinus H. van IJzendoorn and Femmie Juffer.

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  1. Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9500, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Mirjam N. Stolk, Judi Mesman, Jantien van Zeijl, Lenneke R. A. Alink, Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn & Femmie Juffer

  2. Department of Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Hans M. Koot

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  1. Mirjam N. Stolk
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Stolk, M.N., Mesman, J., van Zeijl, J. et al. Early Parenting Intervention: Family Risk and First-time Parenting Related to Intervention Effectiveness. J Child Fam Stud 17, 55–83 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-007-9136-3

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