Community-delivered curriculum lowers parenting stress among low-income parents

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Salk researchers uncover new function of mitochondria During the sessions, caregivers were provided strategies to help them increase self-care, raise awareness of what influences their parenting styles, as well as identify their strengths to better support themselves, their children and their families Researchers found that parents participating in this program reported decreased parenting stress, greater insight into how their upbringing affects their current parenting behaviors and increased ability to access social networks when compared with parents that were not enrolled in this program. According to the researchers, there is a need for effective, accessible, strength-based parenting supports for low income and diverse populations. "Parenting Journey has specifically been developed for delivery in the community in settings such as Head Start that primarily serve low-income families. In addition, the session content has been designed to engage parents and to develop trust among group participants," said corresponding author Caroline J Kistin, MD, MSc, assistant professor of pediatrics at BUSM and a pediatrician at BMC. The researchers believe that community-delivered parenting curriculums like Parenting Journey may be one promising way in which family wellness and child development can be supported in low-income diverse populations. However, they note the need for further research examining the "long-term effects on parental mental health and child socioemotional development." These findings appear online in the journal Family, Systems, and Health . Source: Boston University School of Medicine Journal reference: Kistin, C. J. et al . (2020) Impact of a community-delivered parenting curriculum on perceived parenting stress and parent-reported outcomes in a low-income diverse population. Families, Systems and Health . doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000460