Hi Friends!
An exciting new study has come out evaluating the effectiveness of the Incredible Years® Parenting Program delivered to mothers being released from incarceration. (Published Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, August 2013.)
This is a study I’ve always wanted to do and now it has been done by a Dutch team at Utrecht University. Mothers of 133 children (ages 2 to 10 years) were randomly assigned to either an Incredible Years® parent program or a no-intervention control group. Mothers in the intervention condition were offered the program in group format while in jails as well as by individual home visits to enable individual practice work after mothers were released.
The results showed significant effects on parenting and child behavior according to maternal reports. Marginally significant effects were shown for child behavior according to teacher reports. The results show the short term effectiveness for this high-risk and hard-to-reach population. It is important because a recent meta-analysis indicated that children of incarcerated mothers had about a 10% chance of increased risk for antisocial behavior compared to peers. This approach shows promise in disrupting the transmission of delinquency from delinquent mothers to their children.
Reference:
Menting, A.T.A., Orobio de Castro, B., Wijngaards-de Meij, L.D.N.V., Matthys, W. 2013. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, x(x), 1-16. dx.doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2013.817310 The Netherlands
~Carolyn Webster-Stratton
(Guest Blogger and Incredible Years® Developer)