Acceptability and Preliminary Outcomes of a Parenting Intervention for Syrian Refugees.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Sim, Amanda L.; Bowes, Lucy; Maignant, Sandra; Magber, Sara; Gardner, Frances
- Source
- Research on Social Work Practice. Jan2021, Vol. 31 Issue 1, p14-25. 12p.
- Subject
- *PREVENTION of child abuse
*PREVENTION of post-traumatic stress disorder
*BEHAVIOR disorders in children
*CONFIDENCE intervals
*INTERVIEWING
*MENTAL health
*PSYCHOLOGY of mothers
*PSYCHOLOGICAL tests
*QUESTIONNAIRES
*PSYCHOLOGY of refugees
*RESEARCH funding
*STATISTICAL sampling
*T-test (Statistics)
*SOCIAL support
*PRE-tests & post-tests
*PARENTING education
*EVALUATION of human services programs
*DATA analysis software
*DESCRIPTIVE statistics
- Language
- ISSN
- 1049-7315
Purpose: Forced displacement may increase the risk of child maltreatment and mental health problems among children and caregivers. This study assessed the acceptability and preliminary outcomes of a parenting intervention to prevent child maltreatment and improve parental and child mental health among Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Method: 292 parents and 88 children participated in a structured assessment before and after a group-based parenting intervention implemented by an international nongovernmental organization serving refugee and vulnerable Lebanese communities. Results: Paired sample t tests showed significant reductions in harsh punishment and rejecting parenting behavior and significant improvements in measures of parental and child mental health from pre- to postintervention. On average, parents completed 7.7 of 10 sessions. Discussion: Preliminary results suggest that the parenting intervention was acceptable to refugee parents and may show promise in reducing child maltreatment and improving parental and child mental health in a humanitarian setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]