Group behavioral parent training in an incarcerated setting

• Published in: Children and youth services review Vol. 158; p. 107381
• Main Authors: Holland, Thomas, Headley, Heather, Victory, Erinn, Kirby, Jennifer, Koontz, Penny
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Behavioral parent training; Correctional parenting interventions; Incarcerated fathers; Incarcerated mothers; Incarcerated mothers; Behavioral parent training; Correctional parenting interventions; Incarcerated fathers
• ISSN: 0190-7409; 1873-7765
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107381

In the correctional field, researchers have increasingly focused on interventions that will reduce recidivism rates, such as parent training programs. Due to inconsistent implementation and other factors, parent training in correctional settings have produced varying results; however, behavioral parent training programs (BPTs) have proven most effective. Despite their effectiveness, BPTs have predominantly been used with mothers, even though incarcerated men, and thus incarcerated fathers, are the majority in correctional settings. The current study examines the effectiveness of a Parent-Child Interaction Therapy-based BPT in a rural correctional setting population for both mothers and fathers, as compared to treatment as usual. Results showed that men’s and women’s experimental groups demonstrated better outcomes in knowledge of behavioral principles and treatment acceptability compared with control groups, and they also exhibited non-inferior outcomes in those same measures when comparing scores of the men’s and women’s experimental groups.