The 'Teen Triple P' Positive Parenting Program: a preliminary evaluation

Youth Studies Australia, June, 2006 by Alan Ralph, Matthew Sanders

Adolescents who develop severe conduct disorders are at greater risk of becoming involved in juvenile crime, including property crime, interpersonal violence, theft, arson and illegal substance use. Prior research has found that dysfunctional parenting practices often place children at risk of developing conduct problems and are among the strongest predictors of later delinquent behaviour. Various programs have been developed to assist parents in improving their parenting skills. This paper evaluates one such program, the 'Teen Triple P' Positive Parenting Program. Preliminary results suggest positive outcomes for most participating parents. There have been significant reductions in a variety of risk factors, with some evidence of improvements still being maintained after six months. Further extensive evaluations are being undertaken to assess the reliability of these preliminary findings.

Toni Makkai, Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology

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Dysfunctional parenting practices place children at risk of developing conduct problems (Hawkins, Catalano & Miller 1992) and are among the strongest predictors of later delinquent behaviour (Loeber & Stouthamer-Loeber 1986). Family conflict and dysfunctional parenting practices are also related to a wide variety of adverse developmental and behavioural outcomes in adolescence including drug abuse, poor school achievement and truancy (Sanders 1995). Where children display antisocial behaviour, parents are often poorly equipped to provide consistent affection and discipline (Greenwood et al. 1997).

Serious conduct problems have been shown to be strongly associated with substance use and abuse (Hawkins, Catalano & Miller 1992; Kellam, Brown & Fleming 1983). Studies show that behavioural problems are more likely to begin before drug abuse than vice versa, however an escalation of delinquent or antisocial acts is often accompanied by substance abuse (Prinz & Connell 1997). Indirect evidence suggests that family support reduces the likelihood of adolescent substance abuse and conduct problems (Cauce et al. 1990; Cohen & Wills 1985; Wills, Vaccaro & McNamara 1992).

Interventions aimed at reducing adolescent delinquency have typically been based on a treatment model, however there is limited evidence that such treatment is effective once adolescents have developed severe and pervasive antisocial behaviour patterns. The Pathways to prevention report (National Crime Prevention 1999) defined the need for a developmental approach to crime prevention. Two developmental pathways have been identified that explain the emergence of antisocial / conduct behaviour problems in childhood (Patterson 1982; Patterson, Capaldi & Banks 1991; McMahon & Estes 1997):

* the early-starter model; and

* the late-starter model.

Although the early-starter model becomes entrenched in the preschool years, a significant number of children do not exhibit problem behaviour in early childhood, but become part of a late-starter group, with problems emerging in early adolescence (McMahon & Estes 1997).

The 'Triple P' system

The Positive Parenting Program (referred to as 'Triple P') is a unique parenting and family support system developed at the University of Queensland, and initially created to assist parents of children who fit the early-starter model. Triple P uses a tiered system of intervention. On a scale of increasing intervention strength, programs include:

* media- and information-based strategies;

* brief consultation primary care interventions; more intensive parent training; and

* enhanced behavioural family interventions.

The multiple tiers of intervention in the program allow it to provide different levels of support depending on parental need. Additionally, there is a range of delivery options, including individual and group sessions, self-directed and telephone-assisted components. Triple P is designed as an intervention for all parents and its use of different media promotes easy access to the program.

Teen Triple P was developed for parents of older children who fit the late-starter model. It addresses issues that might lead to severe adolescent antisocial and delinquent behaviour. Teen Triple P targets parenting risk factors, such as:

* harsh, coercive discipline styles;

* parent-teenager conflict and communication difficulties;

* parental monitoring of teenagers' activities;

* parental depression; and

* marital conflict.

Teen Triple P provides parents with assertive discipline skills to preserve parental authority in a consistent and nurturing manner and to help teens maintain regard for family norms of appropriate behaviour as well as respect for school and wider community expectations.

The primary aim of Teen Triple P is to assist parents to promote positive skills and abilities in their teenage children, which contributes to the prevention of more serious adolescent health-risk behaviour, and delinquent or antisocial behaviour. The program helps to:

* promote the independence and health of families through enhancing parents' knowledge, skills and confidence;