Fostering preschooler attachment and development through a relationship-based group parent-training program

The present study investigated the effectiveness of a 6-week group parent-training program with a pre-post test design using the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2 (AAPI-2), the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 (CBCL/1.5-5), and Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF). The training program is developmentally organized, relationship-focused, and play-based, and it targets the parent-child relationship to foster attachment and development within the child while minimizing parental stress and positively impacting parenting beliefs and attitudes within the parent. The underlying structure of the curriculum is based on the dimensions of TheraplayRTM and borrows from positive parenting concepts and strategies often observed in authoritative parenting. Ten parents fully participated, and RANOVA results indicated trends toward statistical significance on the CBCL/1.5-5 scales of Internalizing and Total Problems, and the Difficult Child scale on the PSI-SF. A qualitative analysis revealed an overall effectiveness of the program in guiding and supporting positive parenting. The quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest that this group parenttraining program would be beneficial to parents of preschoolers by creating change in the child and providing the parent with guidance and support.