Effectiveness of the home-start parenting support program: Behavioral outcomes for parents and children.

This study examined effectiveness of Home-Start, a program designed to support parents with young children. The aims were (a) to examine whether Home-Start improved maternal well-being and (b) to examine whether Home-Start led to changes in the behavior of mothers or children. Self-reported and observational data were collected in two waves, using data from 54 mothers and their children between 1.5 and 3.5 years of age who participated in this intervention program for 6 months. These data were compared to 51 comparison families who reported need for parenting support. The results showed a significant improvement in perceived parenting competence, but no effects on maternal depressive moods. Mixed results were found for parenting behavior: Parental consistency and observed sensitivity improved significantly in the Home-Start group whereas no effects were found on the other parenting variables. Child behavioral problems seemed to diminish at the second measurement in both groups, and therefore these changes cannot be attributed to Home-Start.

[1]  S. Greenwald,et al.  Maternal Antisocial Behavior, Parenting Practices, and Behavior Problems in Boys at Risk for Antisocial Behavior , 2003 .

[2]  N. Yirmiya,et al.  The Associations among Observed Maternal Behavior, Children's Narrative Representations of Mothers, and Children's Behavior Problems , 2001 .

[3]  Allison Sidle Fuligni,et al.  Early childhood intervention programs: What about the family? , 2000 .

[4]  S. Olson,et al.  Early Problem Behavior Among Children From Low-Income, Mother-Headed Families: A Multiple Risk Perspective , 2002, Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology : the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53.

[5]  M. Deković,et al.  Family predictors of antisocial behavior in adolescence. , 2003, Family process.

[6]  Femmie Juffer,et al.  Maternal sensitivity, infant attachment, and temperament in early childhood predict adjustment in middle childhood: the case of adopted children and their biologically unrelated parents. , 2002, Developmental psychology.

[7]  Elizabeth B. Owens,et al.  Predicting Growth Curves of Externalizing Behavior Across the Preschool Years , 2003, Journal of abnormal child psychology.

[8]  Marinus H. van IJzendoorn,et al.  Sensitivity and Attachment: A Meta‐Analysis on Parental Antecedents of Infant Attachment , 1997 .

[9]  Patricia Morán,et al.  What works in parenting support: a review of the international evidence , 2004 .

[10]  S. Wolchik,et al.  Maternal Acceptance and Consistency of Discipline as Buffers of Divorce Stressors on Children's Psychological Adjustment Problems , 2000, Journal of abnormal child psychology.

[11]  P. Coleman,et al.  Parenting Self-Efficacy among Mothers of School-Age Children: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Correlates , 2000 .

[12]  P. Coleman,et al.  Self-Efficacy and Parenting Quality: Findings and Future Applications , 1998 .

[13]  C Webster-Stratton.  Preventing conduct problems in Head Start children: strengthening parenting competencies. , 1998, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[14]  S. Short,et al.  'She has made me feel human again': an evaluation of a volunteer home-based visiting project for mothers. , 2000, Health & social care in the community.

[15]  Femmie Juffer,et al.  Less is more: meta-analyses of sensitivity and attachment interventions in early childhood. , 2003, Psychological bulletin.

[16]  D. Gomby.  Understanding evaluations of home visitation programs. , 1999, The Future of children.

[17]  C. Henderson,et al.  Long-term effects of nurse home visitation on children's criminal and antisocial behavior: 15-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. , 1998, JAMA.

[18]  B. Hagekull,et al.  A Structural Modeling Approach to the Understanding of Parenting Stress , 2000, Journal of clinical child psychology.

[19]  J. Barling,et al.  Homemaker role experiences affect toddler behaviors via maternal well-being and parenting behavior , 1993, Journal of abnormal child psychology.

[20]  L. Sroufe,et al.  The relationship between quality of attachment and behavior problems in preschool in a high-risk sample. , 1985, Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development.

[21]  Yvonne M. Caldera,et al.  Multilevel Factors Influencing Maternal Stress during the First Three Years , 2002 .

[22]  R. Reading.  Community mothers programme – seven-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial of non-professional intervention in parenting. , 2001 .

[23]  L. Mâsse,et al.  A bimodal preventive intervention for disruptive kindergarten boys: its impact through mid-adolescence. , 1995, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[24]  E. Zigler.  Handbook of Early Childhood Intervention edited by Jack P. Shonkoff , 2000 .

[25]  A. Biglan,et al.  Behavioral Family Interventions for Improving Child-rearing: A Review of the Literature for Clinicians and Policy Makers , 1998, Clinical child and family psychology review.

[26]  G. Patterson,et al.  Relation of Parental Transitions to Boys' Adjustment Problems: I. A Linear Hypothesis. , 1991 .

[27]  C. Webster-Stratton,et al.  Social skills and problem-solving training for children with early-onset conduct problems: who benefits? , 2001, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[28]  P. Amato,et al.  Poverty, social support, and parental behavior. , 1994, Child development.

[29]  V. Seitz,et al.  Effects of family support intervention: a ten-year follow-up. , 1985, Child development.

[30]  H. Koot,et al.  Prevalence of problem behavior in Dutch children aged 2‐3 , 1991, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[31]  Maree Johnson,et al.  An evaluation of a volunteer-support program for families at risk. , 2004, Public health nursing.

[32]  A. Duggan,et al.  The effect of volunteer home visitation for adolescent mothers on parenting and mental health outcomes: a randomized trial. , 2002, Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine.

[33]  Marinus H. van IJzendoorn,et al.  Sensitivity and attachment: a meta-analysis on parental antecedents of infant attachment. , 1997, Child development.

[34]  J. Barnes.  Interventions addressing infant mental health problems , 2003 .

[35]  D. Baumrind,et al.  The Discipline Controversy Revisited , 1996 .

[36]  H. Koot.  Problem behavior in Dutch preschoolers , 1993 .

[37]  H. Fitzgerald,et al.  Family stress and parent–infant interaction: The mediating role of coping , 2002 .

[38]  P. Laippala,et al.  Relationships between family dynamics of Finnish child-rearing families, factors causing strain and received support. , 1999, Journal of advanced nursing.

[39]  T. Achenbach.  Manual for the child behavior checklist/4-18 and 1991 profile , 1991 .

[40]  K. Puura,et al.  Child and Family Outcomes of the European Early Promotion Project , 2005 .

[41]  G. E. Fryer,et al.  Evaluation of Paraprofessional Home Visiting Services for Children with Special Needs and Their Families , 2002 .

[42]  P. Fonagy.  PREVENTION, THE APPROPRIATE TARGET OF INFANT PSYCHOTHERAPY , 1998 .

[43]  L. Fuddy,et al.  Randomized trial of a statewide home visiting program: impact in preventing child abuse and neglect. , 2004, Child abuse & neglect.

[44]  K. Lertola,et al.  Maternal sensitivity behavior and infant crying, fussing and contented behavior: the effects of mother's experienced social support. , 2004, Scandinavian journal of psychology.

[45]  S. Campbell,et al.  Behavior problems in preschool children: a review of recent research. , 1995, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[46]  R. Tremblay,et al.  Disruptive behavior, peer association, and conduct disorder: Testing the developmental links through early intervention , 1999, Development and Psychopathology.

[47]  J. Osofsky.  “On the outside: Interventions with infants and families at risk” , 1998 .

[48]  B. Muthén,et al.  A comparison of some methodologies for the factor analysis of non‐normal Likert variables , 1985 .

[49]  Lauren M. Papp,et al.  Pathways Among Marital Distress, Parental Symptomatology, and Child Adjustment , 2004 .

[50]  Elizabeth A. Stormshak,et al.  Parenting Practices and Child Disruptive Behavior Problems in Early Elementary School , 2000, Journal of clinical child psychology.

[51]  R. Ceballo,et al.  Social support and parenting in poor, dangerous neighborhoods. , 2002, Child development.

[52]  J. Weisz,et al.  Youth psychotherapy outcome research: a review and critique of the evidence base. , 2005, Annual review of psychology.

[53]  J. Sharry,et al.  Evaluation of a Group Treatment Programme for Parents of Children with Behavioural Disorders , 2001 .

[54]  P. Chamberlain,et al.  A comparative evaluation of a parent-training program. , 1982 .

[55]  Barbara M. Byrne,et al.  Cross-Cultural Comparisons and the Presumption of Equivalent Measurement and Theoretical Structure , 1999 .

[56]  U. Pauli-Pott,et al.  Predicting maternal reactivity/sensitivity: The role of infant emotionality, maternal depressiveness/anxiety, and social support , 2004 .

[57]  Maja Deković,et al.  Risk and Protective Factors in the Development of Problem Behavior During Adolescence , 1999 .

[58]  D. Teti,et al.  Parenting Sensitivity, Parental Depression and Child Health: The Mediational Role of Parental Self‐Efficacy , 1996 .

[59]  C. Webster-Stratton,et al.  Treating children with early-onset conduct problems: a comparison of child and parent training interventions. , 1997, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[60]  K. Crittenden,et al.  Maternal and infant outcomes at one year for a nurse-health advocate home visiting program serving African Americans and Mexican Americans. , 2003, Public health nursing.

[61]  P. Nathan,et al.  Research on psychotherapy efficacy and effectiveness: between Scylla and Charybdis? , 2000, Psychological bulletin.

[62]  S. Pawlby,et al.  Pathways to violence in the children of mothers who were depressed postpartum. , 2003, Developmental psychology.

[63]  C. Henderson,et al.  Prenatal and infancy home visitation by nurses: recent findings. , 1999, The Future of children.

[64]  K. Puura,et al.  The Outcome of the European Early Promotion Project: Mother-Child Interaction , 2005 .

[65]  M. Reid,et al.  Preventing Conduct Problems, Promoting Social Competence: A Parent and Teacher Training Partnership in Head Start , 2001, Journal of clinical child psychology.

[66]  A. Biglan,et al.  Early Elementary School Intervention to Reduce Conduct Problems: A Randomized Trial with Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Children , 2002, Prevention Science.

[67]  Nick Frost,et al.  Home‐start and the delivery of family support , 2000 .

[68]  Shelley E. Taylor,et al.  Risky families: family social environments and the mental and physical health of offspring. , 2002, Psychological bulletin.

[69]  C. Dunst,et al.  Community-Based Parent Support Programs , 2005 .

[70]  Christopher R. Thomas,et al.  From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development , 2002 .

[71]  A. Culp,et al.  First‐time mothers in home visitation services utilizing child development specialists , 2004 .