Abstract
Background
Despite evidence on their short-term effectiveness, the long-term effects of group-based parenting interventions are unclear, programs are hard to scale up, and effects on parents of infants and toddlers are mixed.
Objective
We evaluate the impact of a parenting intervention, Crianza Positiva, that combines 8 group sessions with a 6 months e-messaging component. The program targets parents of infants and toddlers, is designed to be scalable by using low-cost delivery formats and a structured framework, and relies on a “top up” module to sustain the effects.
Methods
We analyze video-recordings of a free play activity to rate the quality of child-caregiver interaction. We compare outcomes across three arms: (a) workshop + messages, (b) workshop only, and (c) a weekly unstructured playgroup. Because assignment to treatment is not random, we use inverse probability weighting to address initial unbalances and differential attrition. Our sample includes 442 disadvantaged families with infants/toddlers enrolled in early childhood centers in Uruguay.
Results
Results show significant and sustained benefits of the program on child-caregiver interaction quality, with medium effect sizes in the affective (d = 0.44) and teaching dimensions (d = 0.59).
Conclusions
The data suggest that group parenting interventions may help improve the childrearing environment among parents of children aged 0–2. Due to its protocolized design and the low cost of integrating it into early-childhood centers, the program has a potential for widespread implementation. Still, definitive conclusions are precluded by the evaluation design. Future randomized designs are needed.