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Abstract
Few programs for parents of young children with emotional difficulties are available or have been evaluated. This article describes a group treatment program, Helping Encourage Affect Regulation (HEAR), that has been developed for parents of young children with symptoms of excessive aggression and noncompliance. The parenting program uses a developmental approach encouraging parents to interact with their children in ways to enhance a variety of capacities in their children. These include: secure attachment, self‐esteem, compliance, problem‐solving ability and empathy. While the focus is on parenting techniques and understanding young children, parents are also encouraged to review their own experience of being parented and its effect on their current parenting practices. The results of a pilot evaluation study of the program's success with 24 parents of young children are described. Results show significant pre‐and post‐test improvements in measures of child symptoms, including level of aggression and parent‐child interactions, especially parent sensitivity, intrusiveness and their ability to structure a task. Parents also reported increased understanding and more positive perceptions of their child. The findings are discussed in light of the process of change that the groups are likely to have facilitated in the parents. An outline of further evaluation of the group treatment is provided.
Notes
∗Research described in this paper was funded by a grant to Sarah Landy from the Children's Aid Society. The study was completed while Rosannc Menna was a Research Fellow at the C.M. Hincks Institute.
