1. Positive Discipline Parenting Workshops Increase Confidence in Parents, Increase Academic Competence in Children BACKGROUND Positive Discipline is a type of parenting program based on Adlerian psychology, which emphasizes encouragement and the need for both kindness and firmness in parenting children. In previous research, the most emphasized aspects of positive discipline parenting style were found to have a sustained increase following 7-week parenting workshops in a community sample. In this study, we examine the impact of parenting workshops on traditional measures of parenting style (PDQ), and on children’s adaptive behavior (CABI), with a 3 month-follow. Results are preliminary. Paul Carroll, B.A., 1 Paul Brown, PhD 1 1 University of California, Merced OBJECTIVE Examine the impact of 7 week Positive Discipline parenting workshops on Authoritative, Authoritarian, and Permissive Parenting. Examine impact on adaptive behavior in children. METHOD  Treatment Sample (N=28). Recruited from free 7-week parenting classes. 82% Female, 82% Hispanic, low income, low education, mean age 37.78 (11.30)  Comparison Sample (N=25). Recruited form local adult school. 92% Female, 72% Hispanic, middle income, low education, mean age 34.87 (7.71)  For correspondence please contact: Paul Carroll Psychological Sciences University of California, Merced pcarroll2@ucmerced.edu IMPACT ON PARENTING Test effects using mixed-effects regression. Primary outcomes are Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive parenting style. In standardized units: PD was unrelated to a change in Authoritative style parenting ( β = 0.198, CI = -.163/.559). PD was related to a decrease in Authoritarian style parenting ( β = -.380, CI = -.750/-.010). PD was related to a decrease in Permissive style parenting. ( β = -.389, CI = -.698/-.079) -Notably, the biggest sub-component driving this reduction in permissive style, was a large increase in self-confidence reported in PD group. ( β =.445, CI =.030 /.860) --There were no significant changes in the comparison group. -- IMPACT ON CHILDREN -Children of parents in PD training had an average age of 6.96 (2.98), and were 72% female. -Children of parents in comparison group had an average age of 6.27 (3.31), and were 67% female. Six domains of behavior were assessed in children, using parental-report on the Child Adaptive Behavior Inventory (CABI). These domains are: -Academic Competence -Social Competence -Externalizing 1 (Aggressive) -Externalizing 2 (Hyperactive) -Internalizing 1 (Social Isolation) -Internalizing 2 (Anxious and Depressed) Effects tested using mixed effects regression. Time by group interactions were not significant for all domains except Academic Competence, where PD was related to an increase in Academic Competence (β =.415, CI =.101/.729) CONCLUSION These results suggest that seven-week positive discipline training may reduce authoritarian and permissive parenting style, including by increasing self-confidence in parents, after 3 months. Further, these results suggest a possible increase in academic competence in children of parents attending seven-week positive discipline trainings, after 3 months. Limitations These results are preliminary, and represent the first wave of a two wave study. Power is low, attrition is high, and the follow up is relatively short – perhaps too short to detect longer term impacts of this training, and not long enough to determine if effects are sustained. Further, all measures of outcomes are from parental self-report, and should be investigated with other reporters. Finally, groups are not randomized, and group differences (while not detected) may have influenced or exaggerated results. Future Research should examine these effects using more objective measures, over a longer time frame, and ideally through a randomized controlled trial.