Examining the Effects of the Parenting Program on Preschool Children’s Behavioral Problems*

* This article was written using parts of the thesis was carried out by Dr. Esra Işık under the supervision of Assoc. Dr. Haktan Demircioğlu, titled “An Investigation of the Effects of The Parenting Program on the Levels of Mindfulness, Perceptions of Competency, and Communication Levels of Parents and Children’s Behavioral Problems.”

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of a Parenting Program, which was developed for parents of preschoolers, on children’s behavioral problems. The study sample included 38 children between the ages of 4 and 6 attending an independent kindergarten in Keçiören District of Ankara Province, and their parents (38). The study adopted an experimental design with a pretest–posttest control group. The Parenting Program, which was developed through a needs assessment, was given to 19 mothers in the experimental group once a week for 11 weeks. The experimental group was administered a follow-up test 6 weeks after the training. The study findings demonstrated that the Parenting Program effectively reduced the behavioral problems (internalization and externalization) of the children whose mothers participated in the education program (Sevgi Kindergarten) and these effects were maintained.

Keywords:

• Parenting program
• parent training
• preschool period
• behavioral problems

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participating Sevgi Kindergarten staff and the parents and their children. The authors have declared that they have no competing or potential conflicts of interest. This manuscript has not been published elsewhere and that it has not been submitted simultaneously for publication elsewhere.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).