Enhancing parenting skills for parents with mental illness: the Mental Health Positive Parenting Program.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of the Mental Health Positive Parenting Program (MHPPP) on parenting practices of parents reporting a mental health problem. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A prospective before-and-after examination of positive parenting skills and parent-reported child outcomes among parents of children aged 2-10 years who had self-reported a mental health problem. One hundred and eleven (85.4%) of 130 parents who commenced the MHPPP completed the program. Of these, 77.5% (n = 86) completed both before- and after-intervention measures. The MHPPP was conducted across four community health centres. INTERVENTION: A 10-week intervention was tailored to parents with a mental health problem. The intervention was divided into a 6-week group parenting program based on the Positive Parenting Program and four weekly home visits. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Parental discipline practices and children's behaviour were measured by the Parenting Scale (PS) and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), respectively. RESULTS: Following the MHPPP, parents scored significantly lower on each of the PS subscales: laxness (Z = - 6.23; P < 0.001), over-reactivity (Z = - 7.15; P < 0.001) and verbosity (Z = - 6.59; P < 0.001); and significantly lower on both ECBI subscales: intensity (Z = - 7.08, P < 0.001) and problem (Z = - 7.57; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest the MHPPP can reduce the number of dysfunctional parenting strategies and parent-reported child behavioural problems. The MHPPP is a promising avenue for early intervention in this population.

Parenting and mental illness: a pilot group programme for parents.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a pilot group programme for parents with a mental illness that was developed and implemented on the NSW Central Coast. CONCLUSIONS: The Parenting and Mental Illness Group Program is a 6-week group programme that is followed by four weekly, individual home visits. Data from the Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory and Parenting Scale suggest the programme produced positive outcomes in children's behaviour and parenting practices; the programme was also viewed favourably by participants. While encouraging, these findings require replication, using larger numbers and evaluation of the programme in other sites. Supported by an evidence base, programmes such as this will be important to implement if mental health services are to improve outcomes for parents with mental health problems and their children.