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Gender role development occurs in the earliest months and years of a child’s life. Parental attitudes, behaviours and modelling are likely to play a significant role in this process; however, to date no review has been conducted to consolidate knowledge of the effects of differential parenting on child development. This systematic review aimed to investigate the evidence for differential parenting behaviours based on child gender that affect child development, across six areas (vocalisation, socialisation, play, toys, dress and décor). Searches were conducted for English article using four databases: psycINFO, CINAHL, Sociological Abstract, and SCOPUS. The inclusion criteria were biological or adoptive parents, of a typically developing child aged below five, using any parenting behaviour or strategies that differed by child gender. 45 studies were included in this systematic review (14 vocalisation, 21 socialisation, 7 play, 3 toys). A variety of gender-differentiated parenting behaviours and child outcomes were examined. The review found evidence that parents do respond differently to their children. Parents vocalised differently, used different socialising strategies, played differently and provided different toys to their sons and daughters. This differential parenting was associated with some differences in child development across child gender, including differences in child vocalisation, displays of affect, pain responses, compliance, toy play and aggression. However, the overall quality of the evidence, the lack of longitudinal studies and the heterogeneous nature of the outcomes examined suggest the need for a systematic approach to examining the nature and effects of differential parenting on children’s development.

Considering the significant impact of perinatal depression on both maternal wellbeing and infant development, it is important to examine the effectiveness of interventions designed to prevent or reduce these risks. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesised evidence on parenting intervention in relation to how such programs affect symptoms of perinatal depression and infant outcomes within 12 months of postpartum. We followed the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines on conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A total of five electronic databases were searched for controlled trials that met pre-determined eligibility criteria. Outcomes of interest were maternal depressive symptoms and infants’ language, motor and socioemotional development. Seventeen studies involving 1665 participants were included in the systematic review. Estimates from a random effects model of 15 studies in the final meta-analysis revealed statistically significant reductions in maternal depressive symptoms at post-intervention for mothers allocated to receive parenting interventions (SMD = − 0.34, 95%CI   − 0.44,  − 0.24; z = 5.97, p < 0.001; I2 = 0%). Data on infant development outcomes from the included studies were scarce, and therefore, infant outcomes were not analysed in this review. For individual study outcomes, the majority of studies reported a general trend for reductions in maternal depressive symptoms from pre- to post-intervention. Although parenting interventions are frequently considered preventive strategies that are designed to offer support to parents and impart skills that promote their physical and psychological wellbeing, our findings suggest that these interventions have a positive effect on perinatal depressive symptoms. Implications and recommendations for future research are addressed. The systematic review protocol was registered with PROSPERO 2020 CRD42020184491.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a brief, group-based parenting intervention for parents of children aged three to 10 years, in improving parental communication about sexuality with their children. A 2 (intervention vs. control) by 3 (baseline, 4-week follow-up, 3-month follow-up) design was used, with parents randomly allocated to intervention or control groups. The intervention comprised of a single session, two-hour parent discussion group on how to positively communicate to children about sexuality. Parental behaviours, self-efficacy, beliefs, and attitudes about sexuality communication were the primary outcome measures. Secondary outcome measures included parental knowledge, parental comfort, child behaviours, and observed sexuality communication. 117 parents completed assessment measures across three time-points and their data were used in the final analyses. Parents in the intervention group reported (i) greater sexuality teaching behaviours; (ii) increased self-efficacy in using sexuality teaching strategies; and (iii) decreased negative beliefs and attitudes about child sexuality communication, relative to parents in the control group, at the 4-week and 3-month follow-ups. No significant differences between parents in the two groups were found on parental knowledge, parental comfort, and child behaviours. Observational data indicated significant intervention effects only on parents’ encouraging responses to their child’s sexuality questions. These findings provide initial support for a brief parenting discussion group in improving sexuality communication between parents and children. Further research is needed to expand on the generalisability of the present study’s findings. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12615000459527 Highlights Most parents acknowledge their role as sexuality educators, yet often feel that they lack the skills and confidence in effectively communicating to their children about sexuality. Parents participating in a brief intervention reported changes in sexuality teaching behaviours, self-efficacy, and beliefs and attitudes about child sexuality communication. Findings support the efficacy of a brief parenting discussion group in improving sexuality communication between parents and children, but studies on generalisability to more diverse populations are needed.

The impact of excessive screen use on child health and development is now a public health concern, and research efforts are focused on finding ways to moderate screen use. To date, the focus has mainly been on school-aged children and adolescents, and the early childhood context has been comparatively neglected. Moreover, relationships between factors likely to influence screen use by young children (e.g., child behaviour, parenting style and self-efficacy) remain largely unexplored. Our study aimed to test relationships between parenting style, parents’ self-efficacy, parental distress, child behaviour, and young children’s screen time. We used a cross-sectional study design. Parents ( N  = 106) of young children (aged 0–4 years) living in Australia completed an online survey which assessed parent-reported child screen use, screen time-related child behaviour problems, parents’ self-efficacy for managing child behaviour and screen time, parents’ beliefs about the positive/negative effects of screen time, parenting style, general child adjustment and parent efficacy, and parent distress. Correlation coefficients revealed relationships between dysfunctional parenting styles, screen time-related child behaviour problems, and parent self-efficacy for dealing with these behaviours. Using hierarchical multiple regression models, children’s screen time behaviour problems explained the greatest variance in parents’ self-efficacy for managing screen time, and parents’ self-efficacy for managing child screen time explained the greatest variance in parent-reported child screen time. Further research is needed to disentangle these relationships; however, preliminary results suggest that child behaviour difficulties and parents’ self-efficacy warrant further investigation as potentially useful targets for interventions aiming to improve screen use in early childhood. Highlights Dysfunctional parenting styles (laxness, overreactivity) correlated with greater screen time-related child behaviour problems. Screen time-related behaviour problems were the strongest predictor of low parental self-efficacy for managing screen time. Low self-efficacy for managing screen time was the strongest predictor of children’s (parent-reported) screen time.

This systematic review summarises the parenting intervention literature for parents of children who have a sibling with a chronic health condition, and evaluates intervention efficacy for improving parent (parenting skills, parenting efficacy) and child (emotional and behavioural adjustment, condition knowledge, quality of life) outcomes. Electronic databases were searched to identify relevant papers published in English from inception until May 2020. Reference lists of eligible papers were further searched for relevant articles. Six papers (two controlled trials, four uncontrolled trials) evaluating four separate intervention programs met inclusion criteria. All included parent- and child-focused intervention components. Results showed an overall trend for pre- to post-intervention improvement in children’s behavioural and emotional adjustment and health condition knowledge. Few studies examined effects on parent outcomes, and there was no evidence of change on these measures. Overall, results suggest that parenting interventions may help to improve siblings’ emotional and behavioural adjustment and condition knowledge; however, all of the interventions combined parent- and child-directed intervention components, making it difficult to determine which intervention elements drive change. Further research is needed to test mechanisms by which parenting interventions may improve outcomes for siblings of children with chronic health conditions, and to establish the efficacy of this approach.

Although Chinese cultural beliefs highlight the significant role of fathers in educating and disciplining their children, little empirical research has explored the role of Chinese fathers more broadly on child adjustment. This study used survey methodology to examine the effect of father involvement, fathering practices, and father-child relationships on child adjustment in Mainland China. Participants were 609 mother-father dyads with at least one child aged 3 to 7 years in preschool. Fathers reported on their involvement and relationships with their children and fathering practices, and mothers reported on child adjustment. Results indicated that paternal inconsistency, coercive parenting, and father-child relationships were significant predictors of behavioral and emotional problems in children. Father involvement, positive encouragement, and father-child relationships were significantly associated with child competencies (positive child behaviors). Additionally, paternal inconsistency and father-child relationships moderated the relationship between father involvement and child behavioral and emotional problems. At low levels of paternal inconsistency, higher father involvement was related to lower behavioral and emotional problems in children; yet, at high levels of paternal inconsistency, higher father involvement was associated with higher behavioral and emotional problems. When father-child relationships were poor, higher father involvement was also related to more behavioral and emotional problems. The findings highlight the importance of considering both the quantity and quality of fathering in child development. When combined with poor fathering practices, increased father involvement may not be beneficial and could potentially be harmful for child adjustment. Highlights Paternal inconsistency, coercive parenting, and father-child relationships were related to child behavioral and emotional problems. Father involvement, positive encouragement, and father-child relationships were associated with child competencies. Paternal inconsistency and father-child relationships moderated the relationship between father involvement and child adjustment. The findings suggest the importance of the quality of fathering when getting fathers involved with their children.

The prevalence of mental health problems among children and adolescents is of growing importance. Intervening in children's mental health early in life has been shown to be more effective than trying to resolve these problems when children are older. With respect to prevention activities in community settings, the prevalence of problems should be estimated, and the required level of services should be delivered. The prevalence of children's mental health disorders has been reported for many countries. Preventive intervention has emphasized optimizing the environment. Because parents are the primary influence on their children's development, considerable attention has been placed on the development of parent training to strengthen parenting skills. However, a public-health approach is necessary to confirm that the benefits of parent-training interventions lead to an impact at the societal level. This literature review clarifies that the prevalence of mental health problems is measured at the national level in many countries and that population-level parenting interventions can lower the prevalence of mental health problems among children in the community.

Background Becoming the parent of a new baby comes with a range of challenges including difficulties with emotional adjustment, couple relationship issues and difficulty managing common infant behaviors, such as crying and sleep problems. This time can be especially challenging for couples who experience a range of risk factors. Previous parenting interventions for parents of babies have shown mixed results. This protocol paper describes a randomized controlled trial of a group-based parenting intervention for high-risk parents expecting their first baby. Methods/design Participants will be randomized to either Group Baby Triple P or Care as Usual (CAU). Group Baby Triple P involves 4 × 2 h group sessions delivered during pregnancy and 4 individual telephone sessions of 30 min each in the early postnatal period. Outcomes will be assessed via parent self-report questionnaire, home observations and a baby diary 10 weeks and 6 months post-birth. Primary outcomes will be parental confidence and perceived competence. Secondary outcomes will include parental responsiveness and bonding with the baby, relationship happiness, life satisfaction, depression, anxiety and stress, and infant crying and sleep. Analyses will involve a series of rANOVA and rMANOVAs, t-tests and a multilevel modeling approach. Discussion A brief summary, strengths and potential implications are discussed. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ANZCTR 12613000948796 . Registered 27 August, 2013.

IntroductionDental decay is a major problem among Australian children. It can be prevented through good self-care and limiting sugar intake, but many parents/caregivers lack the skills and confidence to help their children adopt these practices. This trial will evaluate the efficacy of Healthy Habits Triple P - Oral health, a web-based online programme, in improving children’s oral health-related behaviours (toothbrushing, snacking practices and dental visits) and related parenting practices, thereby preventing dental caries.Methods and analysisThis is a cluster, parallel-group, single-blinded, randomised controlled trial of an online intervention for parents/caregivers of children aged 2–6 years. From the City of Gold Coast (Australia), 18 childcare centres will be randomly selected, with equal numbers randomised into intervention and control arms. Intervention arm parents/caregivers will receive access to a web-based parenting intervention while those in the control arm will be directed to oral health-related information published by Australian oral health agencies. After the completion of the study, the Healthy Habits Triple P - Oral health intervention will be offered to parents/caregivers in the control arm. The primary outcome of this trial is toothbrushing frequency, which will be assessed via Bluetooth supported smart toothbrushes and parent/caregiver report. Data on other outcomes: parenting practices and child behaviour during toothbrushing, consumption of sugar rich foods and parents’ confidence in dealing with children’s demands for sugar rich food, and dental visiting practices, will be collected through a self-administered questionnaire at baseline (before randomisation), and 6 weeks (primary endpoint), 6 months and 12 months after randomisation. Data on dental caries will be collected at baseline, 12 and 18 months post-randomisation.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been obtained from Human Research Ethics Committees of Griffith University (2020/700) and the University of Queensland (2020002839). Findings will be submitted for publication in leading international peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberACTRN12621000566831.

ObjectiveParenting interventions have demonstrated some potential for effectiveness in improving psychosocial and health outcomes for children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their families. However, most interventions have been tested with parents of adolescents, and engagement of parents of younger children into parenting interventions remains problematic. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the Positive Parenting for Healthy Living program for parents of children with T1D.MethodsWe describe our experiences with engagement and recruitment of parents of 2- to 10-year-old children with T1D into a randomised controlled trial of a brief parenting intervention. Engagement, including rates of enrolment, assessment completion and session participation, as well as feasibility were assessed at multiple time points during the trial using multiple measures.ResultsWe share our learnings in delivering and evaluating a parenting intervention for this population. In particular, we explore reasons for the low rate of enrolment, parents’ resistance in opening up about their problems, possible discrepancies between parent and practitioner views on the nature and extent of emotional and behavioural problems, and how better to target engagement efforts in the future.ConclusionsWe offer recommendations for engaging parents in future trials and parenting intervention initiatives.