The Challenge of Working with New Fathers:

The interest in fathering and parent education services for fathers leads to some important questions for professionals who work with parents of young children. This paper explores contemporary patterns of paternal involvement and reports on a study of fathers' perceptions of educations for parenting. Differences between males and females are presented as important considerations for designing parent education programs. Practical suggestions are offered for attracating and serving a broad range of men with parent support and education services.     

The impact of parenting education on parent and child behaviors: Moderators by income and ethnicity

Parenting education has emerged as a promising resource for supporting parents, but the relative impact of parenting education among families facing higher versus lower risk remains unclear. The present study explored the effects of participating in an evidence-based parenting education series and examined whether those effects were moderated by families' socio-demographic contexts (income level and ethnicity status). Results indicated that parenting education series serving predominantly lower-income parents resulted in greater improvements in parents' parenting skills and their children's behaviors compared to series serving higher-income parents. Attending a parenting series with a higher proportion of Latino parents also significantly predicted greater improvements in child behaviors, but not parent skills. These findings provide preliminary evidence that parenting education may be most effective when it targets underserved populations. The findings further highlight the importance of continuing to explore the influence of parenting education adapted for low-income and Latino families to inform the design of evidence-based programs.     

Parenting Education in Australia

SUMMARY: The provision of parenting education in Australia has increased dramatically in recent years in response to the rapid changes in contemporary society and the involvement of professionals in family life and relationships. Informed by a critical perspective which highlights the impact of individuals and society upon each other, the paper argues that the value base of parenting education programmes needs to be made clear. Parents need to be helped to consider their personal experiences of mothering and fathering in relation to the under structural tensions shaping their individual responses which impact in turn on the broader situation. A study being undertaken in Melbourne, Australia is drawn on to illustrate certain aspects of parenting education, and ways in which programmes can perpetuate dominant ideologies which can disadvantage parents, but especially mothers, are noted.     

Context and Surrogate Parenting Among Contemporary Grandparents

This paper provides a conceptual discussion of the relationship between the surrogate parenting role of contemporary American grandparents and temporal, developmental, and ethnic/ra- cial contexts of the life course. Grandparents who are surrogate par- ents, either operate as co-parents by assisting their adult children in the rearing of their offspring, or they assume total responsibility for providing the necessary care and socialization their grandchildren re- quire when their parents cannot. The surrogate parenting responsibili- ties of grandparents are hypothesized to be affected by: (1) temporal context, which concerns the sequencing and synchronization of the assumption of surrogate parenting responsibilities by grandparents relative to their age, peer relationships, and other social role responsibilities; (2) developmental context, which focuses on how grand- parents personal development is hindered or facilitated by the as- sumption of the surrogate parenting role; and (3) ethnic/racial context, which refers to the cultural influences grandparents bring to the surrogate parenting role. The implications of these contexts for the surrogate parenting role of grandparents relative to research, policy, programs, and education are discussed.     

What do parents feel they need? Implications of parents' perspectives for the facilitation of parenting programmes

This paper is based upon in‐depth interview studies with a range of parents and explores their beliefs, expectations and experiences of parenting support. Three dominant ways in which parents viewed parenting education are identified. The implications of these conceptual categories or ‘models’ of parenting support are discussed in terms of their impact on parents' approaches to parenting education and the quality of the outcomes. These interpretations raise questions about the nature and impact of parenting support. As such, they have significant implications for the development and delivery of future parenting provision.     

The added impact of parenting education in early childhood education programs: A meta-analysis

Many early childhood education (ECE) programs seek to enhance parents' capacities to support their children's development. Using a meta-analytic database of 46 studies of ECE programs that served children age three to five-years-old, we examine the benefits to children's cognitive and pre-academic skills of adding parenting education to ECE programs for children and consider the differential impacts of: 1) parenting education programs of any type; 2) parenting education programs that provided parents with modeling of or opportunities to practice stimulating behaviors and 3) parenting education programs that were delivered through intensive home visiting. The results of the study call into question some general longstanding assertions regarding the benefits of including parenting education in early childhood programs. We find no differences in program impacts between ECE programs that did and did not provide some form of parenting education. We find some suggestive evidence that among ECE programs that provided parenting education, those that provided parents with opportunities to practice parenting skills were associated with greater short-term impacts on children's pre-academic skills. Among ECE programs that provided parenting education, those that did so through one or more home visits a month yielded effect sizes for cognitive outcomes that were significantly larger than programs that provided lower dosages of home visits.     

A Qualitative Assessment of a Parent-developed,Parent-run Program to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy

This paper describes an approach to parent education that includes a parent-developed curriculum and parent-facilitated parent training program. The approach was based upon a model of empowerment and self-determination derived from critical and post-modern theoretical perspectives and asserts that parents, working together collectively, can affect meaningful change in their lives. The results of a qualitative assessment support the notion that peer-led parenting training can increase parents' confidence, reduce feelings of incompetence and reduce reluctance to assume the role of parenting. These results support the contention that parents can self-author their change and improve.     

Cultural Diversity and Help-Seeking Behavior

Summary

Four hundred ninety-four parents were surveyed to determine their attitudes about parenting, help-seeking behavior, and obstacles to accessing help with parenting. Comparisons were made with regard to race/elhnicity, gender, and education to determine what attitudinal similarities and differences exist. Most parents identified family members and friends, as well as print and video materials as important sources of help. Parents were less likely to use social service agencies, teachers, doctors and clergy. The likelihood of attending parenting classes was strongly associated with gender and education. High school graduates were more likely than non-graduates to use parenting classes and mothers were more likely than fathers to use parenting classes. African American parents were less likely than other groups to use print and video materials and African American and Hispanic/Latino parents were less likely to seek help from friends.     

Parenthood in the Twenty-First Century: African American Grandparents as Surrogate Parents

African American grandparents serve important roles as surrogate parents. Historically they are honored and recognized for their extraordinary service in augmenting the child welfare system. This article provides a contemporary view of the significant number of African American grandparents who serve as surrogate parents. Their assets and challenges are discussed. Following on the work by Dr. Linda Burton and collaborators in 1995, this article addresses the relationship between temporal context, developmental context, and ethnic/racial context of the life course as it relates to grandparenthood in the twenty-first century. In addition to the discussion of African American grand-parenting trends, challenges and benefits in the twenty-first century, the article presents implications of these contexts for the surrogate parenting by older African Americans relative to social work education, research, and policy.     

Attitudes of low-income parents toward seeking help with parenting: implications for practice

Fifty-two low-income parents were surveyed to determine attitudes toward parenting and help seeking. Although a majority agreed that most parents, even "good" parents, need help or advice about parenting and thought they would seek help with parenting, low-income parents were less likely to believe in or seek out help than those with higher incomes. The most frequently selected sources of help were family, books and videos, telephone help-lines, and friends. The least likely sources of help were child protective services, school personnel, clergy, and social service/counseling agencies. Parent support and education groups were likely sources of support for only one in four low-income parents.     

Building Evidence for a Prevention-Focused Education Program Targeting Parents of Infants and Toddlers

A lack of parenting skills puts young children at greater risk of maltreatment, and impedes healthy child development. Using a combination of a pre-post and post-only design, a prevention-focused parenting education workshop series was assessed to determine its influence on parenting knowledge and self-efficacy. Outcome measures indicated that parents who attended the workshop series showed significant improvement despite having limited resources and a greater number of risk factors. Results suggest that arming parents with knowledge and skills around parenting may lead to increased parenting self-efficacy, potentially reducing risk of child maltreatment and fostering more supportive and responsive parenting.     

Computer-mediated parenting education: Digital family service provision

Computer-mediated family service provision holds the promise of equal efficacy, lower cost, and higher accessibility than traditional parent education groups that require parents to travel to a service venue, thereby alleviating often-cited pragmatic barriers to participation in parenting programs. Hence, examinations of which populations are attracted to particular service modalities are a necessary step in building a reliable evidence base. The scant computer-mediated parent education literature indicates that online parenting programs are beneficial to indicated or secondary prevention programs seeking to bolster specific parent, child, or dyadic outcomes; it is reasonable to ask, then, if this service provision mechanism would be equally effective for all parents, outside of targeted intervention designs. The current paper describes the provision of computer-mediated parenting services to a large sample of parents (N = 192, 89.6% female, average age 40 years; 27% racial/ethnic minority) with no shared prevention indicator through an employer-based program. Our research questions on service provision and utilization include: Who is served by primary prevention programs like this? Do participants report satisfaction with computer-mediated services commensurate with traditional face-to face services? In addition to significant differences in perceived social support by gender, marital status, and number of children younger than 18 living in the home, results from three measures of parenting attitudes and behaviors (e.g., discipline style, sense of competence, and locus of control), indicate that this sample has some confidence in their general abilities as parents, but struggle to feel an internal sense of control over their children's behavior, with the greatest number of parents tending towards overreactive discipline. Associations between these indicate a consistent pattern such that dysfunctional parenting practices tend to co-occur, and parents who do employ dysfunctional strategies feel less competent as parents. Participants report high satisfaction with these services, at equal or better rates than reported in the parent education literature. This work provides evidence that computer-mediated parenting services can attract and exceed expectations of participants with clinical and subclinical but moderate parenting needs, indicating that this service delivery mode has the potential to reach a wide number of individuals ideally situated for prevention services.     

Parents Forever: Evaluation of an Online Divorce Education Program

Divorce education programs are conducting increasingly rigorous impact evaluations to assess if their curriculum improves parenting practices, reduces conflict in the coparenting relationship, and improves outcomes for children. This article presents a 6-month follow-up evaluation of the online version of Parents Forever, an 8-hour divorce education course developed by the University of Minnesota Extension. At follow-up, parents (N = 232) reported significant improvements on several questions about postdivorce parenting and well-being, indicating that the online version of Parents Forever is effective in promoting positive behavioral change for parents.     

Social Demographics,the School Environment,and Parenting Practices Associated with Parents' Participation in Schools and Academic Success among Black,Hispanic, and White Students

This study explored social demographic factors, school environmental factors, and parenting practices that are associated with child academic success and school-based involvement among the parents of Black, Hispanic, and White students. Analysis of 12,426 parents who completed the National Household Education Surveys-Parent and Family Involvement Survey revealed that parent's participation in school is linked to better grades and is associated with supportive schools and positive parenting practices. The study also revealed that parents who were Black and Hispanic, non-native English speakers, lived in unsafe neighborhoods, and had less than a high school education were less likely to visit the school. The article suggests culturally responsive strategies for school leaders and parent advocates to engage parents in their children's education.     

The effectiveness of a parenting education program based on respected parents & respected children for mothers of preschool-aged children

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Respected Parents & Respected Children (RPRC) parenting education program for mothers of preschool-aged children in South Korea. A total of 99 mothers were assigned to an intervention group (n = 54) or a control group (n = 45). Mothers in the intervention group received 16 weekly sessions of the parenting education program and then were compared with mothers who did not take part in the program. Questionnaires were used to assess parenting characteristics (i.e., maternal depression and anger, parenting behavior, co-parenting, parenting efficacy, and parenting stress) at baseline (pre-test), immediately after the termination of the program (post-test), and 8 months after the end of the program (follow-up test). Maternal rejection/restrictions, dissatisfaction, and parental distress of the intervention group decreased and efficacy as parents improved after taking part in the program, and these effects were sustained at follow-up. Our findings support the effectiveness of the RPRC parenting education program in changing parenting strategies and satisfaction and emphasize the need for preventive interventions for parents with young children.     

Building a professional development system: a case study of North Carolina's parenting education experiences

Designing a professional development system for parent educators requires weaving together multiple pieces from within the network of organizations providing parenting education. North Carolina examined how to build a system using the influence of evidence-based programs as well as professional credentialing for parenting educators. A system built with professionals who understand sound parenting practices and networked together to use best practices with parents is critical to support families and prevent child abuse.     

Parenting Expectations: Younger and Older First-Time Parents

The transition to parenthood is a time of great interest to scholars. Because some parents prosper and others falter after the birth of their first child, understanding factors that influence this transition is of critical importance; one reason is the similarity (or lack thereof) between parents' prebirth parenting expectations. The present study examined (1) similarity between and typologies of first-time parents' parenting role expectations for one another, (2) whether older and younger parents differed in their degree of similarity, and (3) whether similarity related to changes in couple relationship quality. Analyses revealed that first-time parents generally were not similar in their views of what either mothers or fathers should be doing as parents. Where differences existed, both fathers and mothers tended to rate their own fulfillment of “nontraditional” roles more highly than did their partners. Younger and older first-time parents did not differ in their degree of (dis)similarity; regardless of age, first-time parents generally demonstrated unmatched parenting role expectations. Finally, differences in expectations at birth were not associated with parents' ratings of changes in relationship quality 6 months later. In much the same way as marriage education programs help premarital couples communicate about potential areas of disagreement, the present findings emphasize the need for similar prenatal programs for first-time parents.     

Changes in parenting practices during Parent Management Training Oregon model with parents of children in foster care

This study examined changes in parenting practices among parents receiving Parent Management Training Oregon model (PMTO). These parents had children in foster care with serious emotional disturbance and were randomized to receive in-home PMTO for up to six months. Using data from the Parent Child Checklist, an observation-based measure administered by therapists after each parent-child session, latent growth curve modeling was conducted with a sample of 318 parents of children, aged 3–16 years old, in foster care. Results showed that overall parenting effectiveness improved and that the change trajectory was best fit by a cubic model (two changes in trajectory). Parenting effectiveness initially increased but was found to turn downward temporarily, then rebounded toward additional improvements. Similarly, three of the six subscales – skill encouragement, positive involvement, and communication/monitoring – demonstrated significant change and a cubic trajectory. In contrast, problem solving and effective discipline subscales showed significant improvement but the trajectory was best fit by a quadratic model, indicating that these parenting practices improved and then leveled off near the end of treatment. The ineffective discipline subscale did not demonstrate significant change. Additionally, parents with high initial scores experienced lower rates of improvement and higher rates of deceleration. However, parents who started with relatively high rates of change were better able to maintain improvements over time. Overall, the results suggested PMTO was associated with increased effective parenting but the trajectory for positive change included both gains and setbacks. Future research is needed to determine whether gains in parenting practices are sustained beyond the treatment period.     

Parenthood and Well-Being: A Decade in Review

Understanding social aspects of parental well-being is vital because parents' welfare has implications not only for the parents themselves but also for child development, fertility, and the overall health of a society. This article provides a critical review of scholarship on parenthood and well-being in advanced economies published from 2010 to 2019. It focuses on the role of social, economic, cultural, and institutional contexts of parenting in influencing adult well-being. The authors identify major themes, achievements, and challenges and organize the review around the demands-rewards perspective and two other theoretical frameworks: the stress process model and the life course perspective. The analysis shows that rising economic insecurities and inequalities and a diffusion of intensive parenting ideology were major social contexts of parenting in the 2010s. Scholarship linking parenting contexts and parental well-being illuminated how stressors related to providing and caring for children could unjustly burden some parents, especially mothers, those with fewer socioeconomic resources, and those with marginalized statuses. In that vein, researchers continued to emphasize how stressors diverged by parents' socioeconomic status, gender, and partnership status, with new attention to strains experienced by racial/ethnic minority, immigrant, and sexual minority parents. Scholars' comparisons of parents' positions in various countries expanded, enhancing knowledge regarding specific policy supports that allow parents to thrive. Articulating future research within a stress process model framework, the authors show vibrant theoretical pathways, including conceptualizing potential parental social supports at multiple levels, attending to the intersection of multiple social locations of parents, and renewing attention to local contextual factors and parenting life stages.     

Same-Sex Parent Socialization: Understanding Gay and Lesbian Parenting Practices as Cultural Socialization

ABSTRACT

Cultural socialization refers to the processes by which parents communicate cultural values, beliefs, customs, and behaviors to their children. To date, research on cultural socialization has focused primarily on racial- and ethnic-minority families, and more contemporary studies have examined these practices among international and transracial adoptive families. In general, four main themes have emerged in the literature: Cultural Socialization, Preparation for Bias, Promotion of Mistrust, and Egalitarianism. Since families with same-sex parents continue to experience stigma in society, there is reason to believe these parents engage in cultural socialization strategies specifically around issues of sexual orientation. Yet, current research on cultural socialization has not explicitly investigated same-sex parenting. Thus, the present study examined same-sex parent socialization among families headed by sexual-minority parents (52 fathers, 43 mothers) using a preexisting socialization framework. Findings revealed that the majority of parents endorsed behaviors designed to promote children's awareness of diverse family structures and prepare them for potential stigma-related barriers socialization along three dimensions: Cultural Socialization, Preparation for Bias, and Proactive Parenting. These results contribute to our empirical understanding of same-sex parenting and justify the need to broaden our conceptualization of cultural socialization to be more inclusive of these diverse family structures.