A Community Intervention to Increase Positive Parenting: A Three-Year Cohort Study in South Africa.

Positive parenting did not increase across the whole community over the three-year study period.

• 536 parent-child dyads were included across three community-wide surveys conducted at baseline and at 18-month intervals
• 110 (20.5%) parents attended a parenting programme at least once
• All Parenting for Lifelong Health programmes were made available to all interested parents alongside an action media intervention
• The community-wide approach did not produce the anticipated increase in positive parenting outcomes

There was a trend towards reduction of corporal punishment across the study period.

• The reduction in corporal punishment was described as a trend rather than a statistically definitive finding
• Parent and child surveys both assessed parenting and corporal punishment
• This trend was observed by the third survey at approximately 36 months
• The finding was noted alongside the absence of community-wide increases in positive parenting

Parenting stress declined and children's mental health improved by the third survey, but these changes were possibly attributable to increased parent employment rather than the intervention.

• Improvements in parenting stress and children's mental health were observed by the third survey (year three)
• The authors attributed these changes possibly to increased parent employment rather than the intervention itself
• Children aged 10 and older were included in surveys assessing child mental health
• Parent surveys addressed parent mental health, parenting stress, and intimate partner violence in addition to parenting measures

Intimate partner violence (IPV), parent mental health, and parent alcohol misuse were unchanged throughout the study and were associated with less positive parenting and more children's mental health symptoms.

• IPV, parent mental health, and parent alcohol misuse showed no change across the three survey time points
• These factors were associated with less positive parenting outcomes
• These factors were also associated with more children's mental health symptoms
• Parent surveys assessed intimate partner violence, parent and child mental health, parent alcohol misuse, and parenting stress

The action media component appeared to be associated with small negative effects on positive parenting, parenting stress, and children's internalising and externalising behaviors.

• The action media process was designed to amplify positive parenting messages across the community
• While the action media process may have enabled diffusion of parenting information, it also appeared associated with small negative effects
• Negative associations were observed for positive parenting, parenting stress, and children's internalising and externalising symptoms
• This was an unexpected finding given the intended purpose of the action media intervention

The authors concluded that parents' mental health, substance abuse, and IPV must be addressed alongside parenting interventions to improve both parenting and children's mental health.

• IPV, parent mental health, and parent alcohol misuse were all associated with worse parenting and child outcomes
• These factors were unchanged by the community-wide parenting intervention
• The conclusion emphasizes that parenting interventions alone are insufficient without addressing co-occurring parental risk factors
• Reduction in parenting stress, a trend towards reduction in corporal punishment, and improvement in children's mental health were observed by year three despite the overall null finding for positive parenting