Parent training

No parent training

The IY parent training programme (3-8 years) developed by Webster-Stratton at the Parenting Clinic, University of Washington, is a manualised and video-based training programme for parents of young children with conduct problems (Webster-Stratton and Reid, 2003a). Parents assigned to the short IY Basic (S-IY) condition were divided into groups of 10-12 parents. The S-IY was led by two experienced group leaders and parents met weekly for two-hour sessions at a public health care center in the community. The group leaders led discussions regarding central aspects of parenting on the basis of the video vignettes, role play and homework.

Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (Robinson et al., 1980). The ECBI provides a list of 36 problem behaviours commonly reported by parents of children with disruptive behaviour problems. The inventory assesses behaviour on two dimensions: the frequency of the behaviour and its identification as a problem. The frequency ratings range from 1 (never) to 7 (always), and are summed to yield an overall problem behaviour Intensity score (Cronbach's alpha 1⁄4 0.82) ranging from 36 to 252.

A questionnaire consisting of 12 questions was developed to assess parents' reasons for participating in child rearing classes. Three subscales measure parental concern (five items, a 1⁄4 0.82), motivation to learn (three items, a 1⁄4 0.42), and own/other's opinion (three items, a 1⁄4 0.42). The questionnaire was sent to all participants in the study. Examples of the questions were: ''I was concerned for my child's behaviour'', ''I was uncertain of how to raise my child'', and ''I think it's interesting to learn about children''. All questions were answered using a five-point Likert scale from ''agree'' to ''disagree''.