[Promotion of parental competence with triple P]

Abstract

Parental competencies have great impact on child development. The concept of parental competency is a comprehensive construct, that involves functional and dysfunctional rearing behavior as well as evaluation of parental coping with challenging rearing situations and self-efficacy of rearing. Enhancing parental education is an important challenge on the background of high prevalence rates of child behavior problems. In the present randomised controlled study the effects of a Triple P parent training on parental competence was examined. 280 families were randomly assigned to a training of a control group. After pre-assessment, the training group participated in a Triple P parent training. 6 and 12 month after pre-assessment, post- and follow-up-1-year-assessments were conducted. Mothers in the training group showed significantly increased parental competencies compared to the control group. Especially overt functional and dysfunctional rearing behavior changed positively. Fathers showed no such change, but did often also not participate in the training. The study illustrates that parental competence can be promoted through Triple P.