Increasing Parents’ Well-being Using the Greek Adaptation of the “Parenting the Strong-Willed Child” Group Curriculum

Abstract

This clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness of the 6-week program “Parenting the Strong Willed Child-Group Curriculum†(PSWC-GC) to improve the wellbeing of 58 Greek Cypriot parents of children with various disruptive behaviors (2-8 years old). Parenting stress is the constellation of aversive stress reactions that arise from the demands of the parent role. Parents were recruited from the community following bioethics approval and assigned to the PSWC-GC condition. The Greek adaptation (Aerostata) maintained all key elements of the original curriculum in 5 parenting skills. T1=Baseline and T2=post-intervention at 7 weeks. Cronbach’s alphas were high. A paired sampled t-test showed a significant decrease at T2 in Parental Distress of the Greek PSI-Short Form. Child behavior problems decreased significantly at T2, as measured by the Greek ECBI. Higher PSI-SF scores negatively correlated with ECBI. Parents reported high satisfaction with the program at T2 and a global improvement in functioning. Effective parent training programs, such as the Greek adaptation of the PSWC-GC, seem to have significant benefits for the well-being of the parents and the behavior of the child.