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Every day, almost one billion children around the world experience violent punishment. Eliminating all violence against children is a key target of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is a monumental challenge due to the diversity of cultural, economic and social contexts in which children live. Violence-prevention programs developed in wealthy countries cannot be assumed to be transferable to low- and middle-income countries. We assessed the relevance of Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP) to 525 parents living in countries with high (n = 201), medium (n = 166), or low (n = 158) Inequality-Adjusted Human Development Indices. The outcome measures were parents' satisfaction with the program and their perceptions of its impact on their parenting. Across IHDI categories, almost all parents were "mostly" or "very satisfied" with the overall program (98.4%), the PDEP parent book (97.9%), and the program activities (97.8%). Parent satisfaction scores were higher in the Low IHDI category than in the High IHDI category. Across IHDI categories, large majorities of parents perceived PDEP as having positive impacts on their parenting. While parents in the Medium IHDI category had the strongest perceptions of PDEP's positive impact, more than 90% of parents in the Low IHDI category believed that the program will help them to understand their children's development and feelings, communicate better with their children, control their anger, and build stronger relationships with their children. PDEP is a promising tool for preventing punitive violence against children across human development contexts.

Objectives To determine the effect of an enhanced information package, the Welcome to Parenthood® (W2P) Kit, given at birth on (a) early parenting experiences and (b) use of educational resources and community services. Methods Two-group, post-test only design, with parents (mothers and fathers) in comparison group (n = 186; received standard discharge information) recruited prior to intervention group (n = 195; received W2P Kit); most were Canadian-born and highly educated. Participants completed an investigator-designed, online or telephone survey at 3 months postpartum, which generated quantitative and qualitative data. The W2P Kit included evidence-based, educational resources about infant feeding, child development, and parenting skills that targeted mothers and fathers, information about community services for new parents, infant board book, and small gifts. Results At 3 months postpartum the intervention group was significantly more likely to be aware of, and to have used, the educational resources than the comparison group. The intervention group was also more likely to have made an unplanned visit to the doctor for their infant, but groups did not differ in early parenting experiences or use of community services. Parents who received the W2P Kit reported that it was helpful to learn about various aspects of child development and parenting. Conclusions for Practice Parents who received the W2P Kit reported increased awareness and use of educational resources, but participants in both groups reported similar experiences as a new parent and use of community services. An enhanced information package given at birth may be a useful health promotion strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most physical violence against children is punitive in intent. The United Nations has called for the elimination of physical punishment of children and for the development of programs teaching nonviolent resolution of parent-child conflict. A focused effort is required to shift entrenched, intergenerationally transmitted, and culturally normalized belief systems about physical punishment. Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP ) was developed to meet this need. Its short-term objectives are to: 1) reduce approval of physical punishment; 2) normalize parent-child conflict; and 3) strengthen parenting self-efficacy. PDEP was delivered by trained program facilitators to 321 parents living in 14 cities in Canada. Responses to pre and posttest questionnaires suggest that parents who completed postprogram measures were less likely to both approve of physical punishment and view typical parent-child conflict as misbehaviour on the part of the child, and also to have greater parenting self-efficacy. More than 90% believed more strongly that parents should not use physical punishment, and that PDEP would help them control their anger and build stronger relationships with their children. PDEP is a promising approach to the prevention of punitive violence against children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents are the most significant influence on the growth and development of young children. All parents can increase their knowledge of developmental milestones and parenting practices by participating in effective programs that offer information and support. However, there is limited outcome evaluation of programs offering these services. Prevention-focused parenting programs (P-FPPs) are key frontline services designed to educate parents and improve the overall well-being of children. Evaluation of these programs is currently weak; this is not to say they are ineffective, rather that their effectiveness has been poorly evaluated. Rigorous evaluation of P-FPPs would support informed funding and evidence-based policy decisions. The purpose of this study was to conduct a preliminary psychometric analysis of the UpStart Parent Survey (USPS)-a tool developed specifically for evaluating this type of program. Preliminary analysis revealed uni-dimensionality of each scale, strong internal consistency and temporal stability, as well as strong concurrent validity on 9 of the 11 items examined with an urban Canadian population. In its first round of psychometric evaluation, the USPS demonstrated promise as a brief, easy to administer, scientifically rigorous tool for the evaluation of prevention-focused parenting programs.

The framework of a Canadian-developed parent education program, Nobody's Perfect, was used in the development of a new parent education program offered to parents attending a child nutrition rehabilitation program in the Dominican Republic. While key teaching elements of the original program were retained (e.g., encouraging active participation, emphasizing facilitation over didactic teaching, using experiential learning), locally relevant content was inserted (e.g., diarrhea prevention and treatment strategies). A Canadian team trained a group of Dominicans to deliver the new program to parents of children recovering from malnutrition. This paper describes the development, implementation, and resulting parenting program from this effort. This 8-week program may find use in other settings. In addition, the experience gained from this exportation endeavor may be useful for others undertaking similar initiatives.