Keeping Parents Involved: Predicting Attrition in a Self-Directed, Online Program for Childhood Conduct Problems (original) (raw)

Positive parenting programs have a strong evidence base for improving parent-child relationships, strengthening families, and reducing childhood behavior disturbances. Their reach is less than optimal however, with only a minority of families in need of help participating. Father involvement is particularly low. Online, self-directed programs have the potential to improve participation rates. This article examines risk factors for dropout/attrition from a free, evidence-based, self-directed, father-inclusive parenting program, Parentworks, which was made available across Australia. Parents (N = 2,967) enrolled in the program and completed preintervention questionnaires. There was a steady and consistent loss of participants through the sequence of core program modules, until a final sample of 218 completed the postintervention questionnaire. A range of demographic and parent and child variables were tested as predictors of 3 subgroups: nonstarters, partial completers, and full completers. Nonstarters (n = 1,625) tended to have older children with fewer behavioral problems and report higher psychopathology and dysfunctional parenting than those who partially (n = 1,124) or fully completed. Contrary to findings from face-to-face research, single parents had the