Article summary with Effects of parenting interventions for at-risk parents with infants: a systematic review and meta-analyses by Rayce a.o. - 2017

Why is it necessary to investigate the effects of early parenting interventions on infant development?

Experiencing adversity early in life can change a child´s development and lead to toxic stress responses that impair brain chemistry and neuronal architecture. This increases the risk for negative outcomes later in life, such as delinquency, violence, substance abuse, and mental health problems. The most frequent mental health diagnosis in children aged eighteen months is disturbance in parent child relationships. Early-intervention parenting programs assist parents with the challenges they experience and teach them strategies and skills that foster healthy child development with an emphasis on promoting warm and responsive caregiving. The effectiveness of these programs needs to be examined, to ensure the (future) wellbeing of the infant.

What results have been found by examining the effects of parenting interventions offered to families with young children?

Systematic reviews have found the following results:

• Group-based interventions have a positive effect on emotional and behavioral adjustment in children up to three years.
• Parenting programs for teenage parents may improve parent-child interactions.
• Parent-infant psychotherapy for high-risk families with infants up to two years old improve infant attachment.
• Home visits for disadvantaged families with children up to six years old improve child development outcomes if the intervention is implemented early.

Few studies have looked at interventions for at-risk parents that are started within the first year of the infants´ life. It is therefore unknown if early preventive parenting interventions are effective in improving child development or parent-child relationship outcomes.

What can be concluded after the meta-analyses done by Rayce et al. (2018), examining the effects of parenting interventions for at-risk parents with infants?

The meta-analyses revealed that parenting interventions significantly improved child behavior, parent-child relationship, and maternal sensitivity. There were no significant effects on cognitive development, or internalizing and externalizing behavior. At long-term follow-up, no significant effect on child behavior was found. Future research should focus on follow-up assessments to examine the long-term effects of early interventions for at-risk families.