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Barriers to Participation in Parenting Programs: The Relationship between Parenting Stress, Perceived Barriers, and Program Completion

Journal of Child and Family Studies volume 27, pages 1264–1274 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Families experiencing child maltreatment or risk factors for child maltreatment often receive referrals to interventions focused on changing parenting practices. Compliance with specific parenting programs can be challenging as many of the stressors that place families at-risk may also interfere with program participation. Because families may receive limited benefit from programs they do not fully receive, it is critical to understand the relationship between parenting stress and barriers to program completion. We used structural equation modeling to examine the relationship among parenting stress, perceived barriers to program participation, and program completion in two datasets involving low-income parents. Data were collected at two time points from a sample of parents involved with child welfare services and a sample of parents considered at-risk of future involvement (total study n = 803). Direct paths from parenting stress at time 1 to barriers to participation and parenting stress at time 2, and from parenting stress at time 2 to program completion were significant. Interestingly, increased barriers to participation were related to increased parenting stress at time 2, and greater parenting stress was related to increased program completion. Results suggest that with increasing levels of parenting stress, parents have an increased likelihood of completing the program. Assessing and addressing the influence of perceived barriers and parenting stress on program participation may decrease the likelihood of treatment attrition.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Cooperative Agreements R49/CCR522338 (University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; PI: Mark Chaffin) and R49/CCR522339 (Purdue University; PI: Jean Dumas) from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This research was supported by Cooperative Agreements R49/CCR522338 and R49/CCR522339 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Author Contributions

W.R. collaborated with the design of the study, conducted data analyses, and wrote the manuscript. A.M. collaborated with the design of the study and writing of the manuscript. L.V. collaborated with the design of the study and writing of the manuscript.

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Affiliations

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA

    Whitney L. Rostad

  2. Medical University of South Carolina, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Charleston, SC, USA

    Angela D. Moreland

  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Linda Anne Valle

  4. School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Mark J. Chaffin

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  1. Whitney L. Rostad
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  2. Angela D. Moreland
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  3. Linda Anne Valle
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  4. Mark J. Chaffin
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Correspondence to Whitney L. Rostad.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional review boards of Purdue University, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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

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Rostad, W.L., Moreland, A.D., Valle, L.A. et al. Barriers to Participation in Parenting Programs: The Relationship between Parenting Stress, Perceived Barriers, and Program Completion. J Child Fam Stud 27, 1264–1274 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0963-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0963-6

Keywords

  • Child welfare
  • Prevention
  • Parenting stress
  • Barriers to program participation
  • Program attrition and retention