Follow-up and Mediation Effects in a Randomized Trial of Parent Training for Mothers Being Released from Incarceration

Although short-term effects of parent training programs preventing behavior problems in children of (formerly) incarcerated mothers seem promising, sustained intervention effects are unknown. Therefore, the present study examined follow-up effects of enhanced Incredible Years Parent Training (IYPT) on parenting behavior (i.e., positive parenting and inconsistent discipline), parenting stress, and disruptive child behavior in families with mothers being released from incarceration. In addition, mediation effects via parenting behavior and parenting stress to disruptive child behavior were examined. In total 91 (formerly) incarcerated mothers, with 133 children between 2-10 years (M = 6.4), were randomly assigned to the control or intervention group. Eight assessments took place over a period of fifteen months, with the last follow-up eight months after the intervention. Intention-to-treat latent growth analyses showed that inconsistent discipline among mothers who received the intervention did not change, while this behavior in the control group increased and remained higher at follow-up. In addition, the intervention reduced both parenting stress and children’s disruptive behavior, but these effects were not maintained at follow-up. For positive parenting, no differences in change and follow-up levels between the control and intervention group were found. Parenting behavior and parenting stress did not function as mediators of effects on child behavior. In sum, the intervention had sustained effects on inconsistent discipline, however, direct benefits of the intervention on child behavior were not visible at eight months follow up. Given these mixed findings, whether children will benefit from the intervention later in life is discussed