The evaluation of the efficacy and cultural acceptability of Group Triple P – Positive Parenting Program with Brazilian parents: Randomized Controlled Trial

The Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) is a unique system of parenting and family support, developed through over 30 years of research, that aims to provide parents with a range of strategies to promote parental confidence, skills and knowledge, reducing the risk of behavioural, emotional and developmental problems in children. Group Triple-P has been chosen as the intervention to be used in this study because it has been previously evaluated and shows good efficacy. Involves active skills training to teach parents these key parenting strategies, including videotaped modelling of skills, roleplay, rehearsal and feedback. Group Triple P consists of four group sessions of 2 hours each and focus on the following topics: positive parenting, helping children develop, managing misbehaviour and planning ahead for high risk situations. For the purpose of this research the four sessions will be separated in two days: Day one – session 1 and session 2 and (after a week) Day two- session 3 and 4, in each day will be offered a coffee break between the sessions. Upon completion of the group sessions, parents will participate in three individual telephone consultations to assist parents to implement the skills learnt in the program, which will last 15-30 minutes each for two consecutive weeks, with one consultation every five days. After the telephone consultations, parents will return for a final 2 hours group session to summarize program content and discuss how to proceed after the program. The group sessions will be audio-recorded for the purpose of ensuring that the intervention is implemented according to the research protocol. Before the first group session, a workbook summarising the content of every session and suggested homework will be given to each parent. The program will be delivered in Portuguese and conducted by a trained psychologist (registered in Brazil) and accredited Triple P Practitioner. Moreover, in order to reduce common barriers to attendance, the program will be offered free of charge and, at each session, participants and their children will receive a free meal and free childcare.