780 - “There’s Nothing Wrong with Praising a Child”: Supporting Parents of Toddlers with Virtual Workshops that Promote Positive Parenting

Publication Number: 780.3809

Karen A. Camero, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Pasadena, CA, United States; Warren Aguiling, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United States; Paul Cunanan, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Victorville, CA, United States; Amila Adili, University of Southern California, Pasadena, CA, United States; Annette C. Faria, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Laurel, MD, United States; Alexandra Olavarrieta Herrera, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States; Carina Vecchi, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Ashaunta T.. Anderson, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Aviril Apple Sepulveda, Nurture Collective, Sherman Oaks, CA, United States; Wendy Mack, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Joyce R. Javier, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, CA, United States

Background: Children with behavioral problems and their families experience significant stress. Group parenting interventions can provide social support and help caregivers cope with children’s behavioral, social, and emotional difficulties. The Incredible Years® Toddler parenting program (IYTPP) is focused on strengthening the parent-child interaction and improving parenting skills to prevent or reduce children’s behavioral problems, yet no studies have evaluated it virtually.

Objective: This pilot study aims to evaluate the impact of virtual delivery of the IYTPP on parenting practices and parental stress.

Design/Methods: IYTPP is a virtual 2-hour, 12-week workshop led by two trained professionals. We recruited English and Spanish speaking mothers of toddlers ages 1-3 years from pediatric clinics and social media. Parents completed pre- and post-intervention surveys which included the Parenting Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF) and Parent Practices Interview (PPI) and attended a focus group.

Results: Three parenting groups were completed in English and one in Spanish with a total of 21 dyads. Mothers had a median age of 35 years and toddlers a median age of 24 months. The race/ethnicity of mothers were Black (33.33%), Hispanic (33.33%), Filipino (14.29%), Multiracial (14.28%), and White (4.76%). 21 participants completed baseline surveys, 15 participants completed follow-up surveys, and 13 completed a focus group. Pre-post test score analysis revealed a minor, non-significant reduction in PSI-SF scores from a mean (SD) of 72.4 (20.7) to 69.4 (15.0), with an effect size of -0.17. For the PPI, Positive Verbal Discipline significantly improved, increasing from a mean (SD) of 5.2 (1.0) to 5.7 (1.0) with a large effect size of 1.01 (p-value = 0.019). Parents in the focus groups reported a strong appreciation for learning opportunities provided by the group. Barriers to participation included work constraints and childcare. Feedback included: “I learned there’s nothing wrong with praising a child and how to discipline age appropriately; Appreciated the personalized advice, leaders were so involved and forthcoming with their experiences.”

Conclusion(s): Virtual parenting groups for parents of toddlers allowed racially diverse mothers to connect, learn and build support networks. Participation in the IYTPP program was associated with a significant improvement in positive verbal discipline. Although the observed decrease in parental stress showed a positive trend, it did not reach statistical significance. Further studies should explore the potential impact of IYTPP on parenting stress.

Table 1. Demographic/Clinical Characteristics for All Patients
IY Toddler demographics.pdfIncredible Years Toddler Parent and Child Demographics.

Table 2. Mean Score (SD) and Effect Size
IY Toddler Survey Data.pdfResults from pre and post intervention surveys: PSI-SF and PPI.

Table 3: Sample Parent Feedback from Focus Groups
IY Toddler Focus Group Table.pdfIncredible Years Toddler focus groups quotes.