A Comparative Study of the Effect of Group-based Parenting Support on Parental Stress and Outcomes for Children in both the UK and Japan UK Team: Professor Sally Kendall (University of Hertfordshire), Linda Bloomfield (University of Hertfordshire), Dr Jane Appleton (Oxford Brookes University), Jane Petrie, Families in Focus Japan Team: Professor Kazuyo Kitaoka (School of Nursing, Kanazawa Medical University, Japan), Professor Fumie Ochiai, Associate Professor Akiko Tsuda, Assistant Professor Makie Nagai, Assistant Professor Maki Uchida, Assistant Professor Tomoe Hashimoto Questionnaires Data collected from 123Magic parenting programmes 1, pre- programme, post-programme and at 3-month follow-up. Parental self-efficacy (TOPSE, Kendall & Bloomfield) Parental stress (PSI, Abidin) Child Strength and Difficulties (SDQ, Goodman) CONCLUSIONS Given the current global concerns over child health and social development, early years interventions with parents appear to be a way forward. The results from this study will add to the emerging knowledge base around how community-based support for parents may impact on their confidence as parents and the effect this has on child outcomes. AIMS To examine the relationship between increased parental self-efficacy after attending a parenting programme and parental stress and child behaviour To examine whether parents feel more confident in using health services appropriately after attending a parenting programme To compare the cultural and contextual issues surrounding parental support in the UK and Japan Qualitative methods Focus groups and interviews with parents to explore parent and child interactions, child behaviour and programme outcomes. UK Data Parenting stress P=.002 Child strengths and difficulties, P=.063 JAPAN Data Pre-course (n=49) Post-course (n=49) 3-month (n=49) ‘I came because I was conscious that I was shouting a lot. I felt that unless I shouted my son wouldn’t listen…obviously I knew that’s wrong, that’s not the way to handle things, but it just didn’t seem to work any other way, so I was getting to the end of each day and feeling a failure.’ Pre-course (n=63) Post-course (n=23) 3-month (n=38) ‘And the other good thing about the experience for me was just to hear other people talking, and not to feel such a failure, to realise that actually it’s quite normal to have issues, doesn’t mean it’s your fault, it’s just the way you handle it ’ ‘But I do think at the end of the six weeks, definitely more patient with them, less shouting…and a bit more understanding. Trying to understand where they’re coming from, to see why they are frustrated and try and turn it around’ TOPSE ‘I have three children now, the youngest one is just turning two, but because the older ones are both boys, they fight badly, and the youngest one’s ego has started developing and being expressed, I was thinking this must be the hardest time, then I was thinking, somehow, if I can listen to my children more, or do something about the problems more calmly without becoming irritated, it would help.’ ‘Well, now I am also thinking vaguely about a time which flows calmly, my children are smiling, I am smiling, and I have less on my mind, then I can feel ‘ It was a calm day all day…the times spent really enjoying playing with my children or the times when I ask them to do something, they answer ‘yes’ politely, or the times when we can understand each other smoothly, I think those are the calmest times for me. Child strengths and difficulties P=.002 Parenting stress P=.003 TOPSE The Centre for Social Justice (2010) ‘Green Paper on the Family’ endorses parenting programmes for all parents on the basis that this will enhance parents’ relationships with their children and their understanding of their child’s development, thus contributing to family cohesion. The family, both in the UK and Japan, is perceived as a necessary part of the social structure and therefore community based support for parents contributes to social cohesion and prevents longer term problems of neglect, abuse and anti-social behaviour. This study adds to our comparative understanding of parenting support in two countries and its effectiveness. 1 Thomas Phelan, 2004