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There is widespread support for the hypothesis that, post-disaster, children’s mental health is impacted—at least in part—via the impact on parents, parenting, parent-child interactions, and the family environment. To some degree, the enthusiasm with which this hypothesis is held outstrips the evidence examining it. The current paper critically evaluates the empirical evidence for this hypothesis and concludes that although limited (both in terms of number of existing studies and methodological flaws), the extant literature indicates some parent-related variables, as well as some aspects of the family environment are likely to constitute risk or protective factors for children. Given that parenting is modifiable, it is proposed that the identified parent- and family-related factors represent important therapeutic targets, and a universal post-disaster parenting intervention (Disaster Recovery Triple P) is described.

The capacity for a parent to self-regulate their own performance is argued to be a fundamental process underpinning the maintenance of positive, nurturing, non-abusive parenting practices that promote good developmental and health outcomes in children. Deficits in self-regulatory capacity, which have their origins in early childhood, are common in many psychological disorders, and strengthening self-regulation skills is widely recognised as an important goal in many psychological therapies and is a fundamental goal in preventive interventions. Attainment of enhanced self-regulation skills enables individuals to gain a greater sense of personal control and mastery over their life. This paper illustrates how the self-regulatory principles can be applied to parenting and family-based interventions at the level of the child, parent, practitioner and organisation. The Triple P—Positive Parenting Program, which uses a self-regulatory model of intervention, is used as an example to illustrate the robustness and versatility of the self-regulation approach to all phases of the parent consultation process.

Triple P is an integrated, multi-level system of evidence-based parenting support designed to promote the well-being of children and families to reduce prevalence rates of social, emotional, and behavioral problems in children and adolescents and to prevent child maltreatment. The system developed gradually over four decades to address the complex needs of parents and children from diverse family, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. It blends universal and targeted programs, a focus on developing parental self-regulation capabilities, and adopts a life span perspective with a population health framework. The Triple P system is used as a case example to discuss the past, present and future challenges, and opportunities involved in developing, evaluating, adapting, scaling and maintaining a sustainable system of evidence-based parenting intervention. Seven stages of program development are outlined from initial theory building and development of the core parenting program through to the sustained deployment of the intervention system delivered at scale. The importance of ongoing research and evaluation is highlighted so that different programs within the system evolve and adapt to address the contemporary concerns and priorities of families in diverse cultural contexts. A well-trained workforce is essential to deliver evidence-based programs, in a need-responsive manner that blends both fidelity of delivery and flexibility and is tailored to respond to the needs of individual families and local context. Programs need to be gender-sensitive, culturally informed, and attuned to the local context including relevant policies, resources, cultural factors, funding, workforce availability and their capacity to implement programs.

Evidence-based parenting support (EBPS) programs derived from social learning theory, cognitive behavioural principles, and developmental theory are among the most successful innovations in the entire field of psychological intervention. EBPS programs have been at the cutting edge of global dissemination efforts to increase community access to evidence-based parenting programs. Despite the widely recognised success of these efforts, existing models of parenting intervention are not a panacea, and much can be done to improved outcomes. Efforts to improve outcomes have included the emergence of a population-based approach to increase reach of intervention. This has included the development of flexible delivery modalities, including online parenting interventions, the incorporation of strategies to enhance cultural relevance and acceptability of programs, and more recently, applications with parents in very low resource settings. Further enhancements of outcomes are likely to be forthcoming as we gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that explain positive intervention effects and non-response to interventions. More cost-effective online professional training models are needed to disseminate and promote the sustained use of EBPS programs. New interventions are required for the most vulnerable parents when parenting concerns are complicated by other problems such as trauma, addictions, relationship conflict, family violence, mental health problems and intergenerational poverty. However, to scale effective programs, Commonwealth and state government policies and funding priorities need to respond to evidence about what works and make sustained investments in the implementation of parenting programs. Possible strategies to enhance the policy impact of intervention research are discussed. [Author abstract]

The prevention of child maltreatment necessitates a public health approach. In the U.S. Triple P System Population Trial, 18 counties were randomly assigned to either dissemination of the Triple P—Positive Parenting Program system or to the services-as-usual control condition. Dissemination involved Triple P professional training for the existing workforce (over 600 service providers), as well as universal media and communication strategies. Large effect sizes were found for three independently derived population indicators: substantiated child maltreatment, child out-of-home placements, and child maltreatment injuries. This study is the first to randomize geographical areas and show preventive impact on child maltreatment at a population level using evidence-based parenting interventions.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the normality of daily life for many children, their families, and schools, resulting in heightened levels of anxiety, depression, social isolation, and loneliness among young people. An integrated public health model of interventions is needed to address the problem and to safeguard the mental health and wellbeing of children. The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program is one system of parenting support with a strong evidence-base and wide international reach. When implemented as a public health approach, Triple P has demonstrated population level positive effects on child wellbeing. This study will be the first large-scale, multi-site randomised controlled trial of a newly developed, low-intensity variant of Triple P, a school-based seminar series, as a response to the impacts of the pandemic. Methods The evaluation will employ an Incomplete Batched Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomised Trial Design. At least 300 Australian primary schools, from South Australia, Queensland, and Victoria will be recruited and randomised in three batches. Within each batch, schools will be randomly assigned to either start the intervention immediately or start in six weeks. Parents will be recruited from participating schools. The Triple P seminar series includes three seminars titled: “The Power of Positive Parenting”, “Helping Your Child to Manage Anxiety”, and “Keeping your Child Safe from Bullying”. Parents will complete measures about child wellbeing, parenting, parenting self-regulation and other key intervention targets at baseline, six weeks after baseline, and 12 weeks after baseline. Intervention effectiveness will be evaluated with a Multilevel Piecewise Latent Growth Curve Modelling approach. Data collection is currently underway, and the current phase of the project is anticipated to be completed in January 2024. Discussion The findings from this study will extend the current knowledge of the effects of evidence-based parenting support delivered through brief, universally offered, low intensity, school-based parenting seminars in a post pandemic world. Trial registration The trial is registered at the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (Trial Registration Number: ACTRN12623000852651).

Parents play a key role in establishing a healthy home environment. This randomised controlled trial examined the efficacy of a low-intensity parenting intervention (three 2-hour Lifestyle Triple P-Positive Parenting Program Seminars) for parents who are concerned about or interested in learning more about healthy lifestyle behaviours for children. Parents of 160 children aged 3–10 years were randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. Primary outcomes of parenting practices, child lifestyle-specific and general behaviour and parent self-efficacy were assessed via parent self-report. Secondary outcomes included child BMI z-score, a food diary measuring energy intake, physical activity levels measured by accelerometers and parent reported time spent on screen-based activities. Assessment occurred at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 6- and 12-months after completion. At 12-months post-intervention, intent-to-treat analyses found a significant intervention effect on overall ineffective parenting, lifestyle-specific and general parenting confidence. Child lifestyle problem behaviours reduced, with no effects on general child behaviour. On the secondary exploratory outcomes, time spent watching television reduced with no other significant effects detected. Parents viewed the intervention as high-quality and acceptable. A brief parenting program aiming to promote healthy lifestyles for all families offers promise for improving parenting skills and child lifestyle behaviour. Highlights First efficacy trial of 3 × 2-hour Lifestyle Triple P Seminar Series for parents. Intervention effects on parent-report child lifestyle-specific but not general behaviours. Intervention effects on parent-report parent self-efficacy and parenting style. Limited effects on secondary exploratory outcome measures. Brief large-group seminar series deemed high-quality and acceptable to parents.

Survey ( n  = 161) and focus group ( n  = 15) methods were used to collect data from a community sample of New Zealand fathers about their knowledge and experience with parenting programs, and their preferences for program content, features, and delivery methods. The prevalence of perceived child behavioral and emotional difficulties, parenting risk and protective factors, fathers’ parenting confidence, and the family and personal correlates of father preferences were also examined. Survey results showed that fathers’ knowledge and experience of available parenting programs was low. The topics rated most highly by fathers to include in a program were building a positive parent–child relationship, increasing children’s confidence and social skills, and the importance of fathers to children’s development. Fathers’ most preferred program delivery methods were father only group programs, individually-tailored programs, and a range of low intensity options, including seminar, television series, and web-based. Program features most likely to influence father attendance were demonstrated program effectiveness, location of sessions, practitioner training, and that content addressed personally relevant issues. Fathers’ level of education, stress and depression, and perceptions of child behaviour difficulty were linked to program content and delivery preferences. New insights were gained from focus group participants about messages to include in program advertisements and program content to emphasise in order to engage fathers. Findings highlight a variety of program and delivery options that could be offered to meet a range of father parenting support needs, including concerns about coping with specific child behaviours and emotions, and managing personal and parenting stress.

This paper outlines the theoretical and empirical foundations of a unique multilevel parenting and family support strategy designed to reduce the prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems in preadolescent children. The program known as Triple P-Positive Parenting Program is a multilevel system of family intervention, which provides five levels of intervention of increasing strength. These interventions include a universal population-level media information campaign targeting all parents, two levels of brief primary care consultations targeting mild behavior problems, and two more intensive parent training and family intervention programs for children at risk for more severe behavioral problems. The program aims to determine the minimally sufficient intervention a parent requires in order to deflect a child away from a trajectory towards more serious problems. The self-regulation of parental skill is a central construct in the program. The program uses flexible delivery modalities (including individual face-to-face, group, telephone assisted, and self-directed programs) to tailor the strength of the intervention to the requirements of individual families. Its multidisciplinary, preventive and community-wide focus gives the program wide reach, permitting the targeting of destigmatized access points through primary care services for families who are reluctant to participate in parenting skills programs. The available empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of the program is discussed and its implications for research on dissemination are discussed.

Objective Parent-only cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) interventions have promise for youth with anxiety disorders. Fear-Less Triple P (FLTP) is one such intervention that has been found comparable to child-focused CBT. Although traditionally administered in six sessions, a one-day workshop format of FLTP was developed to improve accessibility. The current study compared the effectiveness of the six-session and one-day workshop formats. Method Seventy-three youth (mean age, 8.4 years; 74% male) were randomized to traditional FLTP (6-week group) or the one-day workshop format. Anxiety diagnostic status, self- and parent-reported anxiety symptoms scores, independent evaluator-rated improvement, treatment satisfaction, and measures of family functioning were included to assess treatment outcome. Data were collected prior to treatment, and 1-week, 6-months, and 12-months following treatment. Results Both conditions resulted in significant improvement in child anxiety symptom scores per parent report (on both questionnaire and diagnostic interview measures). Furthermore, significant decreases in sibling anxiety were observed in both treatment conditions. There were no statistically significant differences between conditions on any outcome measure. Conclusions Results of this study add to the growing evidence that brief, low-intensity, parent-only interventions can effectively target child psychopathology. These brief interventions are ideal for families for whom the resources and time required to commit to a standard multi-week intervention are prohibitive. Registration of Clinical Trials : This trial was registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN 12615001284550).