Follow-up effects in a parent-training trial for mothers being released from incarceration and their children.

Abstract

Given the at-risk status of children of incarcerated mothers for behavior problems and later delinquency, and the key role of their mothers’ parenting behaviors, the need for parent training in this population seems obvious. Although short-term effects of parent training for this population seem promising, sustained intervention effects are unknown. Therefore, we examined follow-up effects of Incredible Years Parent Training enhanced with home visits, on parenting behavior (positive parenting and inconsistent discipline), parenting stress, and disruptive child behavior, in families with mothers being released from incarceration. Mothers of 133 two- to ten-year-old children (M = 6.4 years; 51.1% girls) were partially randomly assigned to the intervention group—receiving group sessions and individual home visits—or a no-intervention control group. Mothers participated in eight assessments, including a follow-up assessment 8 months after intervention. Intention-to-treat latent growth analyses showed that inconsistent discipline increased and remained higher at follow-up in the control group, whereas inconsistent discipline among intervention mothers did not increase. In addition, the intervention reduced both parenting stress and children’s disruptive behavior, but these effects were not maintained at follow-up. In sum, the intervention had sustained effects on inconsistent discipline, however, direct benefits of the intervention on child behavior were no longer visible at 8-month follow-up. Maintenance of treatment gains seems difficult for previously incarcerated mothers, and therefore ongoing family support is needed for these mothers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)