An Evaluation of The Effectiveness of The Triple-p (positive Parenting Program) to Alleviate Problems During The Development of Children

The quality of life in a family is basic to the welfare of children. The parent-child relationship has a prevalent influence on the physical, psychological, economic and social welfare of children. Most substantial mental health, economic, and social challenges are associated with disturbances in the functioning of a family relationship. Epidemiological studies show that family risk factor including; poor parenting, divorce cases, family conflicts, among others, strongly influence the development of children. This calls for the need to implement Triple-P (Positive Parenting Program) to alleviate such problems.

Triple-P (Positive Parenting Program) refers to a multilevel, preventively focused parenting and family support strategy created by the Mathew Sanders together with his work mates at Queensland University, Australia. The program was aimed to avert severe behavioral, developmental and emotional challenges children are facing by improving the parental knowledge, skills and confidence. This paper seeks to critically examine the evidence that the Triple-P (Positive Parenting Program) is linked to improved parenting and/ or child behavior in school domain.

Parenting and Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Problems.

The effect of parenting on the development and preservation of the emotions and behavior of a child is well established. Baumrind, (1996) conceptualizes parenting as an integration of responsibility and demand where the significance of both warmth and structure for the development of a child was highlighted. Bandura’s work on modeling (1977) influenced the theoretical research on social learning where he demonstrated that children acquire negative behaviors directly through experiencing enforcing impacts, and indirectly through what they observe on their experiences. Bandura’s work was advanced by coercion theory by focusing on the functions of parent-child coercive exchanges in the development and preservation of behavior challenges of children. During these coercive exchanges, the parent together with the child intensifies their aversive behavior until either the parent or child submits. Consequently, the intensified aversive behavior and submission are negatively enforced. As time goes by, these coercive exchanges can become habitual pattern of interactions between children and their parents.

Responsive parenting and positive-child interactions are a protective factor against the development of emotional and behavioral challenges of children and cushion against hardship, even in high-risk families, to enhance prevention of externalizing behaviors and problems associated with academic. Therefore, the intervention of triple-P is an effective way of reducing children’s emotional and behavioral problems.

Parenting and Children’s Classroom Behavior.

Behavior problems of children at home usually extend to the school domain. Children bearing behavior problems have tendency to model harsh as well as hostile interactions in the classroom if they view and encounter harsh and dangerous modes of parenting. Children who undergo parental model characterized by warm and responsive interactions have tendency to display the same pro-social behavior . Furthermore, effective parenting boosts the regulation skills of the children, which are negatively associated with behavior problems.

Parenting programs aiming at enhancing the parent-child relationship, compliance, and reduce behavior problems have resulted to general improvement of child’s behavior in a classroom. For instance, from the findings in a study conducted by McTaggart and Sanders (2003), children who underwent Triple P displayed substantially greater enhancements in teachers’ ratings of frequency and intensity of problem behaviors as compared to were under the otherwise parenting, and these enhancements were preserved at a six-month follow up. Therefore, positive parenting programs are reliable methods of intervention for the reduction of children’s emotional and behavioral problems.

Parenting and Children’s Educational Attainment.

Effective parenting practices are both essential to children’s academic success as well as children’s positive behavioral outcomes. The findings of a longitudinal study show that children whose parents were both strict and supportive displayed a higher academic performance and school engagement as compared to their peers who were under less strict and unsupportive parenting. Furthermore, children who performed very well in school are more likely to have parents who are responsive in different ways such as; setting academic targets for the children, applying the use scaffolding in academic talks, together with encouraging autonomy of children. Contrary to authoritarian parenting, the parent-child conflict can be linked to dismal academic performance for the children.

Parenting may affect the academic performance of children through its strong effect on adherence and self-regulation of children by increasing children’s; cognitive engagement, attentiveness, and inhibitory control all of which are co-related with academic performance. Academic achievement through increased homework completion, a key factor for academic success of children, is also associated with behavioral compliance of children. Therefore, an effective parenting strengthens and advocates the compliance of children as route to successful engagement of children in school.

Parenting programs emphasize on reinforcing parenting skills to enable parents manage behavior problems of children and enhance positive parent– child interactions. These programs are directed by l principles of behavior and work to assist parents executes reliable, predictable, and effective parenting approaches. The efficacy of evidence-based parenting programs as a management of children’s emotional and behavioral problems of children is well established in based on some of the observations made in school domain.