Parent-Child Intervention Displays Positive Outcomes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the Partners in Parenting Education (PIPE) intervention. The PIPE intervention targeted children aged 11-19 months. This intervention focused on the parent-child relationship and reducing children’s externalizing behaviors by increasing positive parenting behaviors. Approximately 77 mother-child dyads completed the intervention across seven separate cohorts at four sites, specifically family resource centers, throughout Arizona. The intervention was 10 weeks long with two hourly sessions per week. The dyads were videotaped weekly and videos were subsequently coded. The parents filled out pre and post assessments. It was hypothesized that parent’s sensitivity scores would increase significantly, the child’s cooperation scores would increase significantly, and parental stress was predicted to significantly decrease. The relationship between these variables was also examined. The data was analyzed using paired samples t-test and a one-way ANOVA. The results indicate that in subsamples of participants who began the intervention with below average scores, child cooperation and maternal sensitivity increased significantly while the parental distress decrease showed a trend towards significance. These findings reveal that the PIPE intervention can effectively facilitate positive change within the dyads, especially for at risk parents and children.