Enhancing parenting skills for parents with mental illness: the Mental Health Positive Parenting Program

Objective: To determine the effect of the Mental Health Positive Parenting Program (MHPPP) on parenting practices of parents reporting a mental health problem. Design, setting and participants: A prospective before‐and‐after examination of positive parenting skills and parent‐reported child outcomes among parents of children aged 2–10 years who had self‐reported a mental health problem. One hundred and eleven (85.4%) of 130 parents who commenced the MHPPP completed the program. Of these, 77.5% ( n = 86) completed both before‐ and after‐intervention measures. The MHPPP was conducted across four community health centres. Intervention: A 10‐week intervention was tailored to parents with a mental health problem. The intervention was divided into a 6‐week group parenting program based on the Positive Parenting Program and four weekly home visits. Main outcome measures: Parental discipline practices and children's behaviour were measured by the Parenting Scale (PS) and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), respectively. Results: Following the MHPPP, parents scored significantly lower on each of the PS subscales: laxness (Z = − 6.23; P < 0.001), over‐reactivity (Z = − 7.15; P < 0.001) and verbosity (Z = − 6.59; P < 0.001); and significantly lower on both ECBI subscales: intensity (Z = − 7.08, P < 0.001) and problem (Z = − 7.57; P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings suggest the MHPPP can reduce the number of dysfunctional parenting strategies and parent‐reported child behavioural problems. The MHPPP is a promising avenue for early intervention in this population.