ABSTRACT
Parental burnout (PB), a relatively new and under-studied construct, is defined as a condition resulting from chronic parenting stress. While recent research confirmed its negative associations with familial variables, such as relationship satisfaction and positive parenting practices, little is known about the role of intimate partner violence (IPV) and how it relates to parental burnout. The present study, therefore, aimed to extend existing knowledge on chronic parenting stress by 1) testing for the mediational role of couple dissatisfaction in explaining the link from IPV victimization to PB as well as the link from IPV victimization to dysfunctional parenting, and 2) investigating how specialist gender roles and parental responsibilities for child care relate to IPV victimization and PB. Data collection was part of an international collaboration on factors related to parental satisfaction and exhaustion across different countries. Self-report data from Austrian mothers (N = 121) were collected online and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that couple dissatisfaction mediates the link from IPV victimization to PB, as well as IPV victimization to dysfunctional parenting. Furthermore, only specialist gender roles were significantly related to IPV, while parental responsibilities for child care did not significantly relate to experiences of violence. Additionally, neither specialist gender roles nor parental responsibilities were significantly associated with PB in the final model. Overall, our findings connect to family models, such as the Family System Theory and Spillover Theory, underscoring the importance of couples' relationship quality for understanding parental burnout and parenting behaviors in mothers.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The Parenting for Lifelong Health for Young Children (PLH-YC) programme aims to reduce violence against children and child behaviour problems among families in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although the programme has been tested in four randomised controlled trials and delivered in over 25 countries, there are gaps in understanding regarding the programme's implementation fidelity and, more generally, concerning the implementation fidelity of parenting programmes in LMICs. AIMS: This study aims to address these gaps by examining the psychometric properties of the PLH-YC-Facilitator Assessment Tool (FAT)-an observational tool used to measure the competent adherence of PLH-YC facilitators. Examining the psychometric properties of the FAT is important in order to determine whether there is an association between facilitator competent adherence and programme outcomes and, if correlated, to improve facilitator performance. It is also important to develop the implementation literature among parenting interventions in LMICs. METHODS: The study examined the content validity, intra-rater reliability, and inter-rater reliability of the FAT. Revision of the tool was based on consultation with programme trainers, experts, and assessors. A training curriculum and assessment manual was created. Assessors were trained in Southeastern Europe and their assessments of facilitator delivery were analysed as part of a large-scale factorial experiment (N = 79 facilitators). RESULTS: The content validity process with PLH-YC trainers, experts, and assessors resulted in substantial improvements to the tool. Analyses of percentage agreements and intraclass correlations found that, even with practical challenges, assessments were completed with adequate yet not strong intra- and inter-rater reliability. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the literature on the implementation of parenting programmes in LMICs. The study found that the FAT appears to capture its intended constructs and can be used with an acceptable degree of consistency. Further research on the tool's reliability and validity-specifically, its internal consistency, construct validity, and predictive validity-is recommended.
Subject(s)
Parenting , Problem Behavior , Child , Humans , Child, Preschool , Parents/education , Reproducibility of Results , EuropeABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Childhood adversities, such as poor parental practices, exposure to violence, and risk behaviours strongly impact children's future mental and behavioural problems. Adversities affect families living in disadvantaged environments and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to a greater extent than in high-income countries. Parenting programmes are an effective way to alleviate them, although their outreach and scalability is still limited in LMICs. METHODS/DESIGN: A multi-site randomised controlled trial will be conducted in North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova and Romania to test the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of an optimised version of the promising Parenting for Lifelong Health Programme for Young Children (PLH-YC, 5 sessions), against a standard lecture on parenting issues (control group, 1 session). At least 864 participants who report having children between 2 and 9 years old who display elevated levels of behavioural difficulties will be randomised on a 1:1 basis to the intervention and control groups. The primary outcome will consist of parent report of child oppositional aggressive behaviour. Post-test (four months) and follow-up (12 months) assessments will provide information on short- and longer-term effects of PLH-YC compared to the parenting lecture in the control group. DISCUSSION: This randomised trial will test the efficacy of PLH-YC in alleviating child behavioural problems and assess the cost-effectiveness, transportability across three different cultural contexts, and potential for scalability of the programme. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ., Registration number: NCT04721730 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04721730 ). Registered 13.01.2021.