title: The efficacy of parent training for promoting positive parent-toddler relationships.
abstract: The effectiveness of a parent training program for promoting positive parent-child relationships was examined among families of 2-year-olds. Forty-six mothers and fathers and their toddlers were assigned to either an intervention or comparison group. Intervention group parents participated in a 10-week program that focused on principles for effectively interacting with their toddlers. Parents completed measures of parenting self-efficacy, depression, stress, and perceptions of their toddler's behaviors and were videotaped playing with their toddlers preintervention, postintervention, and 3 months following the intervention. Repeated measures ANOVAs showed that the parent training program led to significant increases in maternal self-efficacy, decreases in maternal stress, and improvements in the quality of mother-toddler interactions. No significant effects were found among fathers. Explanations for obtaining different outcomes for mothers and fathers are discussed and directions for future research are recommended.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population