Group Parent Training in the Eastern Health Board: Programme Description and Evaluation

Abstract

A sample of 94 mothers, who attended a parent training programme designed to teach parents the skills necessary to deal with their children’s conduct disorders, completed the Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) on 3 occasions: (a) prior to the commencement of the course, (b) immediately upon its completion, and (c) one year later. On completion of the course mothers reported their children as having fewer and less intense behaviour problems than before its commencement, and these benefits were maintained over the one-year follow-up period. In addition, a significant reduction in the GHQ scores of the mothers between the initial and end-of-course assessments indicated that their psychological symptomology improved as a result of the course, and this improvement was also maintained over the follow-up period.