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Review
. 2011:62:299-329.
doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.121208.131619.

Long-term impact of prevention programs to promote effective parenting: lasting effects but uncertain processes

Irwin N Sandler  1 , Erin N Schoenfelder, Sharlene A Wolchik, David P MacKinnon
Affiliations
Review

Long-term impact of prevention programs to promote effective parenting: lasting effects but uncertain processes

Irwin N Sandler et al. Annu Rev Psychol. 2011.

Abstract

This article reviews findings from 46 randomized experimental trials of preventive parenting interventions. The findings of these trials provide evidence of effects to prevent a wide range of problem outcomes and to promote competencies from one to 20 years later. However, there is a paucity of evidence concerning the processes that account for program effects. Three alternative pathways are proposed as a framework for future research on the long-term effects of preventive parenting programs: (a) through program effects on parenting skills, perceptions of parental efficacy, and reduction in barriers to effective parenting; (b) through program-induced reductions in short-term problems of youth that persist over time, improvements in youth adaptation to stress, and improvements in youth belief systems concerning the self and their relationships with others; and (c) through effects on contexts in which youth become involved and on youth-environment transactions.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Alternative Conceptual Models of Processes by Which Parenting Affects Long-Term Program Impact on Child Competencies and Problems
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