title: Preventing child abuse and neglect: a national evaluation of Parents Anonymous groups.
abstract: This evaluation assessed whether participation in Parents Anonymous mutual support groups was associated with child maltreatment prevention. Parents new to groups across the United States were interviewed at baseline, one month, and six months. Using standardized scales, all parents showed improvements in some child maltreatment outcomes, risk factors, and protective factors. Parents starting out with particularly serious needs showed statistically significant improvement on every scale. Results indicated that Parents Anonymous participation contributes to child maltreatment reduction.
authors.affiliation: Parents Anonymous Inc.
authors.forename: Margaret L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Polinsky
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pion-Berlin
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Tanya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology