Parent-Child Relations, Parenting
Conditions
Keywords
Prison, Criminality, Child
Brief summary
Evaluation of the effects of the parental support intervention For our children's sake on positive parenting outcomes when conducted with incarcerated parents in prisons in Sweden.
Detailed description
Children of incarcerated parents comprise a greatly disadvantaged group in society with elevated risk of ill-health, behavioural problems, and own delinquency and unemployment later in life. Positive parenting comprise an important factor for children's positive and healthy development. Incarcerated parents may have difficulties to engage in positive parenting due to disadvantaged situations affecting parenting negatively such as drug addiction, poverty, or lack of experience of positive parenting in their own childhood. Previous research has suggested that interventions to prevent the intergenerational effect of criminality should be targeting family factors where positive parenting has been emphasised. Internationally developed parenting interventions for incarcerated parents suggest an impact on parenting outcomes such as positive parent-child interaction, parenting knowledge, empathy, parent stress, increased child contact and active parenting, However, the majority of the programmes evaluated to date have been conducted in the US, with a prison and probation context with limited generalisability to the Swedish system. In Sweden, the parenting programme for incarcerated parents, For our children's' sake (FOCS) was developed in 2012-2014 with the aim to support positive parenting for the child's healthy development and is currently delivered in Swedish prisons. The aim of this project is to evaluate the effects of the FOCS parenting programme on parenting outcomes through a controlled trial with a parallel implementation process evaluation.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALFor Our Children's Sake
Parental support with the aim to support positive parenting and promote healthy child development. Conducted in group-format with weekly 2.hour sessions conducted by trained group leaders according to a programme manual.
OTHERActive control
Participating in everyday activities that may include parenting activities in the control prisons
Sponsors
The Solstickan Foundation, The Sven Jerring Foundation
Karolinska Institutet
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Controlled trial
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Serving a sentence at any of the included prisons * Having at least one child in the ages between 0-18 years. Parents of children aged 0-2 and 13-18 years will not be included in the primary outcome measure, as the measure is not developed for these age groups. These parents will be included in the mediator measurements. * Are in contact with their child/children in any form. If not, these parents are included in the mediator measurements, as the primary outcome: relationship quality, is not applicable. * Having the legal right to contact the child * Not committed either a crime against the child or any violent crime against the other parent
Exclusion criteria
* Not fulfilling inclusion criteria
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 7-items sub-scale Closeness in the Child Parent Relationship Scale | Positive change in mean score of all 7 items between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at mid-intervention to investigate mediated effects, and a 3-month post intervention follow-up. | Parent-reported quality in relationship between parent and child on a 5-point scale ('complete agree' to 'completely disagree') |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Contact frequency and type between parent and child | Change in mean score of items between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at a 3-month post intervention follow-up. | Parent-reported frequency (weekly, monthly, less, no contact) and type (letter, telephone, visit/permission, other |
| Eight items chosen from the sub-scale antisocial intent in the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates scale | Change in mean score of items between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at a 3-month post intervention follow-up. | Parental attitude to criminality self-reported on a 5-point scale ('complete agree' to 'completely disagree') |
| Parent interest in other treatment programmes in prison | Change in item score between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at a 3-month post intervention follow-up. | One item self-reported on an 11-point scale (0 no interest, 10 very high interest) |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 14 item parenting attitude from the The Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI-2) | Change in mean score of items between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at mid-intervention to investigate mediated effects, and a 3-month post intervention follow-up. | Intermediate outcome/mediator self-reported on a 5-point scale ('complete agree' to 'completely disagree') |
| 6 items parental self-efficacy scale | Change in mean score of items between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at mid-intervention to investigate mediated effects, and a 3-month post intervention follow-up. | Intermediate outcome/mediator self-reported on a 5-point scale ('complete agree' to 'completely disagree') |
Countries
Sweden
Outcome results
None listed