Improving emotional availability in Australian mother-toddler dyads via the Tuning in to Toddlers parenting program.

This study examined whether an emotion socialisation parenting program, Tuning in to Toddlers (TOTS), contributed to observed improvements in mother-toddler emotional availability. Parents of toddlers aged 18-36 months were recruited through childcare centres and maternal child health centres in Melbourne, Australia and were allocated to either an intervention or a waitlist control condition in a cluster-randomised controlled design. Parents in the intervention condition participated in 6 group sessions of TOTS. Baseline and 12-month follow up observation assessments for 99 mother-toddler dyads (intervention, n = 50; control, n = 49) were coded using the Emotional Availability Scales (4th edition) and analysed for between-group differences and clinically reliable change. Compared with the control condition, mothers in the intervention condition showed significant improvements in maternal sensitivity (p = 0.004). Further, significantly more intervention dyads reliably improved on maternal structuring (p =0 .013) and child responsiveness (p =0 .042), whereas those who received no intervention reliably deteriorated on maternal sensitivity (p = 0.001) and non-intrusiveness (p = 0.040). Thus, the preliminary evidence from this study indicates that an emotion socialisation program delivered to parents of toddlers may influence emotional availability.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: Program authors S.S.H. and C.E.K. wish to declare a conflict of interest in that they may benefit from positive reports of this program. Proceeds from dissemination of the program provide funding for development and research of the program. Program authors and the University of Melbourne receive royalties from proceeds of manual sales. Z.C., K.T., and B.W. declare no conflict of interest.
(© 2025. The Author(s).)