Factors Associated with Good and Harsh Parenting of Pre-Adolescents and Adolescents in Southern Africa (original) (raw)
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Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies
At-risk families and caregivers from low-and middle-income countries have been shown to benefit from parenting interventions. But there is limited evidence on the impact of interventions on adolescent parents. This paper considers the effects of a parenting programme targeting adolescent parents in South Africa, emphasising parenting and adolescent well-being outcomes. Secondly, it explores whether such an intervention can influence adolescent depression and parenting behaviours. Using a quasi-experimental, longitudinal design, data was collected over 2015-2017 from 113 adolescent parents (aged 12-22 years) who attended three secondary schools in Cape Town. Adolescents (biological and non-biological parents) were assigned to intervention (parenting programme participation) and control groups. They completed assessments on parenting, adolescent well-being, and social context at three time-points. Inter-group, and time-period differences were examined, and analyses on whether depression moderates programme effects on outcomes were conducted. At the ten-month follow-up, positive parenting and resilience improved for biological and non-biological parents and in both study groups. For the nonbiological intervention group parents, depression rates increased over time. Intervention adolescents with high depression risk showed smaller improvements in supportive parenting than their control group counterparts. Although adolescents increased in positive parenting and resilience, it is unclear whether and how the intervention contributed to these results. As the intervention group included more adolescents at high risk of depression at follow-up, this study highlights the
Objective To assess the impact of ‘Parenting for Lifelong Health: Sinovuyo Teen’, a parenting programme for adolescents in low-income and middle-income countries, on abuse and parenting practices. Design Pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting 40 villages/urban sites (clusters) in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Participants 552 families reporting conflict with their adolescents (aged 10–18). Intervention Intervention clusters (n=20) received a 14-session parent and adolescent programme delivered by trained community members. Control clusters (n=20) received a hygiene and hand-washing promotion programme. Main outcome measures Primary outcomes: abuse and parenting practices at 1 and 5–9 months postintervention. Secondary outcomes: caregiver and adolescent mental health and substance use, adolescent behavioural problems, social support, exposure to community violence and family financial well-being at 5–9 months postintervention. Blinding was not possible. Results At 5–9 months postintervention, the intervention was associated with lower abuse (caregiver report incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.55 (95% CI 0.40 to 0.75, P<0.001); corporal punishment (caregiver report IRR=0.55 (95% CI 0.37 to 0.83, P=0.004)); improved positive parenting (caregiver report d=0.25 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.47, P=0.024)), involved parenting (caregiver report d=0.86 (95% CI 0.64 to 1.08, P<0.001); adolescent report d=0.28 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.48, P=0.006)) and less poor supervision (caregiver report d=−0.50 (95% CI −0.70 to −0.29, P<0.001); adolescent report d=−0.34 (95% CI −0.55 to −0.12, P=0.002)), but not decreased neglect (caregiver report IRR 0.31 (95% CI 0.09 to 1.08, P=0.066); adolescent report IRR 1.46 (95% CI 0.75 to 2.85, P=0.264)), inconsistent discipline (caregiver report d=−0.14 (95% CI −0.36 to 0.09, P=0.229); adolescent report d=0.03 (95% CI −0.20 to 0.26, P=0.804)), or adolescent report of abuse IRR=0.90 (95% CI 0.66 to 1.24, P=0.508) and corporal punishment IRR=1.05 (95% CI 0.70 to 1.57, P=0.819). Secondary outcomes showed reductions in caregiver corporal punishment endorsement, mental health problems, parenting stress, substance use and increased social support (all caregiver report). Intervention adolescents reported no differences in mental health, behaviour or community violence, but had lower substance use (all adolescent report). Intervention families had improved economic welfare, financial management and more violence avoidance planning (in caregiver and adolescent report). No adverse effects were detected. Conclusions This parenting programme shows promise for reducing violence, improving parenting and family functioning in low-resource settings. Trial registration number Pan-African Clinical Trials Registry PACTR201507001119966.
Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 2017
Parenting quality is important in child development. In the presence of HIV poverty and life stress, parenting may be challenged and child development affected. This study examines cross-sectional associations of situational factors such as poverty, mental health, HIV status, living with a biological parent, and stigma with good parenting and child outcomes (n = 989; age = 4-13 years) within the Child Community Care study (South Africa and Malawi). A parenting measure was created from 10 variables comprising 6 child and 4 parent ratings. These were highly correlated. Total parenting score was generated on a 10-point continuous scale, with a good parenting cutoff then defined as ≥8 out of a possible 10. Five factors were associated with good parenting. Positively associated with good parenting were being the biological parent of the child, parental mental health and dwelling in households with multiple adults. Poverty and stigma were negatively associated with good parenting. Using multiple mediation analysis, a positive direct effect of good parenting was found on child self-esteem, child behaviour and educational risks with a partial mediation via child depression and trauma. These data highlight possible intervention points. Influences on parenting could be seen through being the biological parent, parental mental health, poverty and stigma. In these challenging environments, health, nutrition, mental health, education and treatment to keep parents alive are all clearly identified as potential pathways to ensure child well-being.
Developing a parenting programme to prevent child abuse in South-Africa: Pre-Post Pilot Study
Purpose: Violence against children increases in adolescence, but there is a research and practice gap in research-supported child abuse prevention for the adolescent years. A pilot program for low-resource settings was developed in collaboration with nongovernmental organizations, government, and academics in South Africa, using research-supported principles. Method: This study used a pre-post design to test initial effects of a 10-session parenting program with 60 participants (30 caregiver-adolescent dyads) in high-poverty rural South Africa. Areas requiring further testing and adaptation were also identified. Results: Pre-post findings show medium to large program effects in reducing child abuse and adolescent problem behavior, as well as large effects in improvements of positive parenting, and perceived parent and adolescent social support. Discussion: There is potential to reduce child abuse, improve parenting, and reduce adolescent problem behavior in rural South Africa through parenting programs. Further development, testing and longer term follow-up are required to ascertain potential for scale-up.
Journal of Social Sciences, 2002
This is an investigation into the perceived parental disorders as risk factors for child sexual, physical and emotional abuse among high school students in the Mpumalanga Province (South Africa). 559 participants filled in a retrospective self-rating questionnaire in a classroom setting. The questionnaire asked questions about perceived parental disorders, and childhood sexual, physical and emotional abusive experiences of participants. Logistic Regression Analysis shows that among all the participants, parental psychiatric problems and parental physical domestic violence are risk factors for child sexual abuse. Parental drug or alcohol problems and parental physical domestic violence are risk factors for child physical abuse. Parental psychiatric hospitalisation, parental psychiatric problems, and parental physical domestic violence are risk factors for child emotional abuse. Mental health and social workers, educators and law enforcement agencies dealing with prevention and protection against child abuse in the province should take note of the above identified risk factors while designing programmes for the eradication of child sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
AIDS Care, 2014
Families affected by HIV/AIDS in the developing world experience higher risks of psychosocial problems than non-affected families. Positive parenting behavior may buffer against the negative impact of child AIDS-orphanhood and caregiver AIDSsickness on child wellbeing. Although there is substantial literature regarding the predictors of parenting behavior in Western populations, there is insufficient evidence on HIV/AIDS as a risk factor for poor parenting in low-and middle-income countries. This paper examines the relationship between HIV/AIDS and positive parenting by comparing HIV/AIDS-affected and non-affected caregiver-child dyads (n = 2,477) from a cross-sectional survey in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (27.7% AIDS-ill caregivers; 7.4% child AIDS-orphanhood). Multiple mediation analyses tested an ecological model with poverty, caregiver depression, perceived social support, and child behavior problems as potential mediators of the association of HIV/AIDS with positive parenting. Results indicate that familial HIV/AIDS's association to reduced positive parenting was consistent with mediation by poverty, caregiver depression and child behavior problems. Parenting interventions that situate positive parenting within a wider ecological framework by improving child behavior problems and caregiver depression may buffer against risks for poor child mental and physical health outcomes in families affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty.
Background: An estimated one billion children experience child abuse each year, with the highest rates in low-and middle-income countries. The Sinovuyo Teen programme is part of Parenting for Lifelong Health, a WHO/ UNICEF initiative to develop and test violence-prevention programmes for implementation in low-resource contexts. The objectives of this parenting support programme are to prevent the abuse of adolescents, improve parenting and reduce adolescent behavioural problems. This trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Sinovuyo Teen compared to an attention-control group of a water hygiene programme.
The Social Science Journal, 2002
This is an investigation into the relationship between perceived parental physical availability and child sexual, physical and emotional abuse among high school students in the Northern Province (South Africa). All the secondary school students in standards 9 and 10 in three secondary schools filled in a retrospective self-rating questionnaire in a classroom setting. The questionnaire asked questions about perceived parental physical availability during childhood, and childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Logistic Regression Analysis shows that among all the participants, "haven ever had a stepfather or adoptive father until he or she was at least 16 years old" and again, "haven ever had a stepfather or adoptive father until he or she was at least 16 years old" and "haven lived in a 'group home' until he or she was at least 16 years"; and "haven been raised by any other adult" predict child sexual, physical and emotional abuse, respectively. Mental health and social workers, educators and law enforcement agencies dealing with prevention and protection against child abuse in the Province should take note of the above identified predictors while designing programmes for the eradication of child sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
Journal of Social Sciences, 2003
This is an investigation into some perceived parental undesirable behaviours that may predict child sexual, physical and emotional abuse among a sample of university students in South Africa. 722 undergraduate students of psychology at the University of the North, South Africa, filled in a retrospective self-rating questionnaire in a classroom setting. The questionnaire asked questions about perceived parental undesirable behaviours during childhood, and childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Logistic Regression Analysis shows that among all the participants, 'parent haven gone into a psychiatric hospital for psychiatric problems' and 'parent haven had problems with drugs or alcohol' predict child sexual abuse. 'Participant's feeling of being mistreated because of parental psychiatric problems' and 'parent hitting or beating up the other parent' predict child physical abuse. Again, 'Parent hitting or beating up the other parent' predict child emotional abuse. Mental health and social workers, educators and law enforcement agencies dealing with prevention and protection against child abuse in the province should take note of the above identified risk factors while designing programmes for the eradication of child sexual, physical and emotional abuse.