Multilevel selected primary prevention of child maltreatment.
Few treatment studies and even fewer primary prevention studies have demonstrated successful reduction of child maltreatment. Successful preventive interventions have often been lengthy and expensive; shorter programs have been didactic and ineffective. The present investigation relied on a 7-level model of successful parenting to mount a time-limited, "selected" prevention effort with high-risk mothers. This program included modeling, role-playing, Socratic dialogue, home practice, and home visits. The study demonstrated effective intervention at every level of the model, including improvements in (a) parenting skills, (b) developmentally appropriate interventions, (c) developmentally appropriate beliefs, (d) negative affect, (e) acceptance of a responsible parent role, (f) acceptance of a nurturing parent role, and (g) self-efficacy. Directions for future research are considered.
Peterson
Lizette
L
Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA.
Tremblay
George
G
Ewigman
Bernard
B
Saldana
Lisa
L
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011897:Random Allocation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires