Abstract
Objective: A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the ability of parent training programs to reduce parents’ risk of abusing a child. Method: A total of 23 studies were submitted to a meta-analysis. Outcomes of interest included parents’ attitudes toward abuse, emotional adjustment, child-rearing skills, and actual abuse. Conclusions: Immediately following treatment and prior to moderator analyses, effect sizes for all outcomes were in the moderate range (d = 0.45-0.60). Moderator analyses suggest inclusion of home visitors and conducting parent training in both a home and office setting significantly enhanced the effectiveness. In addition, inclusion of a behavioral component and delivering some of the parent training in an individual setting, as opposed to group only, enhanced outcomes significantly.
