PARENT EDUCATION AS PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE DRUG REHABILITATION PROGRAM

This study assessed the effectiveness of a parent education program with drug addicted parents. Changes in parental attitudes and perceptions were examined in addicted persons and their spouses who had attended a 10-week course in Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP). Changes in children\u27s perceptions of child-parent relationships resulting from parental participation in STEP were also evaluated. Forty individuals in treatment for drug rehabilitation and their nonaddicted spouses were offered STEP. An equivalent no-contact control group was used for comparison. Random assignment was made to the treatment or control group. Subjects completed pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow up measures. The Parental Attitude Research Inventory (PARI) and the Adlerian Parental Assessment of Child Behavior Scale (APACBS) were utilized. Children completed the Swanson Child-Parent Relationship Scale. Data were analyzed using a three-way analysis of variance with repeated measures. The Newman-Keul\u27s test for multiple comparisons was used to test for significant differences among groups. On the PARI, experimental parents were significantly different from control parents and showed a significant change between pretest and posttest measures. This change was sustained over time. STEP parents were more democratic in their child rearing attitudes, encouraged more communication and tended to discourage dependency in their children. The APACBS yielded significant changes in parental perception of child behavior. STEP parents tended to view their children in a more positive manner than did the parents of the untrained control group. Changes in perception were sustained over a three month period. No significant differences were found between addicted and nonaddicted parents or between fathers and mothers. The Swanson Scale indicated a more positive perception of child-parent relationships and interactions among the children of those parents who participated in STEP. For the population represented in this study, parental involvement in STEP proved to be an effective approach in raising children\u27s perceptions of child-parent relationships, promoting more democratic child rearing attitudes, and encouraging more positive perceptions of children\u27s behavior. The need for more detailed research addressing actual behavior change on the part of the parents and children subsequent to STEP is indicated in this study