Factors influencing enrollment in preventive parenting interventions

The study investigated factors influencing enrollment in a parenting intervention designed to prevent conduct problems. Predictors included sociodemographics, child disruptive behavior, parental intent, barriers to participation, and parent investment. Parents (n = 239) of 3- to 5-year-old children from economically disadvantaged preschools completed a telephone survey. Enrollment was defined as returning registration forms or requesting to participate in the intervention. Results showed intent to be a significant predictor of enrollment. Methodological limitations affecting the data dictated that a subset of parents (n = 63) be examined. Results from subset analyses showed barriers to participation and child age to significantly predict parent enrollment. The differences between original and subset results were discussed. Limitations of the study and current prevention literature were also addressed