Abstract
Families involved with child welfare services often experience a range of stressors in addition to maltreatment, including
intimate partner violence, substance abuse, and mental health problems. Children in these families are at risk for developing
a myriad of problems. Although parenting education programs are among the most routine interventions for families involved
with child welfare services, there is relatively little data available about these programs for families with multiple stressors.
This study sought to explore the family stressors in parents involved in the child welfare system who have been referred to
an intensive therapeutic parenting program, and the relationship of those stressors to change in parenting attitudes. Quantitative
abstraction of parenting program files was conducted. Analyses included descriptive and bivariate statistics, and related
samples t tests to examine change in parenting attitudes. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of this population.
File abstraction revealed that parents in this population experiencing multiple co-occurring stressors ranged from 23 to 39%.
Significant improvements in parenting attitudes were found for most groups of participants, including those with violence,
mental health, and substance abuse problems. Qualitative interviews indicated that parents felt that they were learning from
the parenting program and were supported by the facilitators. Parents facing multiple stressors are unlikely to be able to parent effectively, and may need significant support and intervention.
Additional understanding of the types of issues they face and whether particular interventions are effective for those groups
would allow for the development of more targeted interventions.
intimate partner violence, substance abuse, and mental health problems. Children in these families are at risk for developing
a myriad of problems. Although parenting education programs are among the most routine interventions for families involved
with child welfare services, there is relatively little data available about these programs for families with multiple stressors.
This study sought to explore the family stressors in parents involved in the child welfare system who have been referred to
an intensive therapeutic parenting program, and the relationship of those stressors to change in parenting attitudes. Quantitative
abstraction of parenting program files was conducted. Analyses included descriptive and bivariate statistics, and related
samples t tests to examine change in parenting attitudes. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of this population.
File abstraction revealed that parents in this population experiencing multiple co-occurring stressors ranged from 23 to 39%.
Significant improvements in parenting attitudes were found for most groups of participants, including those with violence,
mental health, and substance abuse problems. Qualitative interviews indicated that parents felt that they were learning from
the parenting program and were supported by the facilitators. Parents facing multiple stressors are unlikely to be able to parent effectively, and may need significant support and intervention.
Additional understanding of the types of issues they face and whether particular interventions are effective for those groups
would allow for the development of more targeted interventions.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-10
- DOI 10.1007/s10826-012-9569-1
- Authors
- Lianne Fuino Estefan, Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Martha L. Coulter, Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Carla L. VandeWeerd, Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Mary Armstrong, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
- Peter Gorski, The Children’s Trust, Miami, FL, USA
- Journal Journal of Child and Family Studies
- Online ISSN 1573-2843
- Print ISSN 1062-1024