title: Parental self-efficacy as a determining factor in healthy mother-child interaction: a pilot study in iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Parental self-efficacy is associated with increasing mental health in children. There is a paucity of research in Iran on the role of parental self-efficacy in increasing mental health status of children. In this preliminary study, we studied the effectiveness of the World Health Organization international child development program (2002) for children aged 3 years and younger in increasing positive interaction between child and mother as an important component of mental health.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty mothers from a central hospital child-caring center in Mashhad participated in the study and were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). The experimental group received the World Health Organization international child development program for 6 consecutive weeks while the control group remained without manipulation. The Parenting Self-Agency Measure (PSAM) was administered at pre-test, post-test and at 1-month follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study findings indicated that parental efficacy in the experimental group increased after 6 consecutive weeks of training and remained unchanged after 1 month of follow-up while the control group showed no difference regarding scores obtained at three stages of the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  International programs such as the World Health Organization international child development program can increase positive child-mother interaction as an important factor which contributes to mental health in early years of life but further studies with larger samples in longer terms and with more follow-up periods in Iran are suggested.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  None. Clinical Trial Registration-URL: http://www.irct.ir. Unique identifier: IRCT2012073010445N1.
authors.affiliation: Center of Psychological Counseling Services, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Zohreh
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Abarashi
authors.affiliation: Family Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Karineh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tahmassian
authors.affiliation: Family Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mazaheri
authors.affiliation: Family Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Leili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Panaghi
authors.affiliation: Family Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Nader
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mansoori
keywords: Child; Interaction; Mental Health; Parental Self-Efficacy