ERIC Number: EJ1422013
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jun
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-1890
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3319
"Crianza Positiva": Combining Group Workshops and E-Messages to Strengthen Parenting Competences
Ana I. Balsa; Esteban Gómez Muzzio; María L. González; Juanita Bloomfield; Alejandro Cid; Rosario Valdés
Child & Youth Care Forum, v53 n3 p719-740 2024
Background: Despite evidence on their short-term effectiveness, the long-term effects of group-based parenting interventions are unclear, programs are hard to scale up, and effects on parents of infants and toddlers are mixed. Objective: We evaluate the impact of a parenting intervention, "Crianza Positiva," that combines 8 group sessions with a 6 months e-messaging component. The program targets parents of infants and toddlers, is designed to be scalable by using low-cost delivery formats and a structured framework, and relies on a "top up" module to sustain the effects. Methods: We analyze video-recordings of a free play activity to rate the quality of child-caregiver interaction. We compare outcomes across three arms: (a) workshop + messages, (b) workshop only, and (c) a weekly unstructured playgroup. Because assignment to treatment is not random, we use inverse probability weighting to address initial unbalances and differential attrition. Our sample includes 442 disadvantaged families with infants/toddlers enrolled in early childhood centers in Uruguay. Results: Results show significant and sustained benefits of the program on child-caregiver interaction quality, with medium effect sizes in the affective (d = 0.44) and teaching dimensions (d = 0.59). Conclusions: The data suggest that group parenting interventions may help improve the childrearing environment among parents of children aged 0-2. Due to its protocolized design and the low cost of integrating it into early-childhood centers, the program has a potential for widespread implementation. Still, definitive conclusions are precluded by the evaluation design. Future randomized designs are needed.
Descriptors: Program Effectiveness, Parent Education, Group Activities, Telecommunications, Infants, Toddlers, Parent Child Relationship, Workshops, Disadvantaged, Early Childhood Education, Foreign Countries, Child Rearing
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Uruguay
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A