Facts In Action

Studies have shown that when children exhibit defiant, aggressive, and non-compliant behaviors at an early age they are more likely to abuse drugs, commit violent acts, and drop out of school when they reach their teenage years. Researchers at the University of Washington randomly selected parents and teachers from Head Start programs to determine the effectiveness of training programs in preventing conduct problems among four-year-old children.

Parents chosen for the experimental group were eligible to receive a 12-week training program that taught positive discipline strategies, effective parenting skills, strategies for coping with stress, and ways to strengthen children's social skills. Teachers took part in a series of one-day workshops that focused on classroom management techniques, promoting social competence in the classroom, and methods to prevent peer rejection by helping both aggressive and non-aggressive children learn more appropriate problem solving strategies.

Results showed that Head Start mothers who attended the training sessions exhibited more positive parenting and more involvement with their child's teacher and in the children's education than a comparison group of mothers who did not take part in the training. Children whose parents participated in the training showed fewer behavior problems at school and at home compared to children who received the normal Head Start curriculum. Teachers who completed the training program showed better classroom management, including more positive and less harsh and critical techniques, than teachers who did not participate.

These findings suggest that school-based programs may be a useful way to provide treatment to families of children with behavior problems and to assist parents who display high levels of harsh and critical parenting. The researchers warn, however, that for these kinds of interventions to have long-term effects, teacher and parent training programs should also be offered through the early school grades and at critical phases, such as the transition to middle school.

Source:
"Preventing Conduct Problems, Promoting Social Competence: A Parent and Teacher Training Partnership in Head Start," C. Webster-Stratton, M. Reed, and M Hammond, Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, Volume 30, Number 3, 2001.

For more information:
contact Carolyn Webster-Stratton, University of Washington, School of Nursing, Parenting Clinic, Box 354801, Seattle, WA 98105-4631, or email cws@u.washington.edu.

Facts in Action, February 2002