Balancing Work and Family: A Controlled Evaluation of the Triple P- Positive Parenting Program as a Work-Site Intervention

BACKGROUND: Despite a wealth of evidence showing that behavioural family intervention is an effective intervention for parents of children with behavioural and emotional problems, little attention has been given to the relationship between parents functioning at work and their capacity to manage parenting and other home responsibilities. This study evaluated the effects of a group version of the Triple-P Positive Parenting Program (WPTP) designed specifically for delivery in the workplace. METHOD: Participants were 42 general and academic staff from a major metropolitan university who were reporting difficulties managing home and work responsibilities and behavioural difficulties with their children. Participants were randomly assigned to WPTP, or to a waitlist control (WL) condition. RESULTS: Following intervention, parents in WPTP reported significantly lower levels of disruptive child behaviour, dysfunctional parenting practices, and higher levels of parental self-efficacy in managing both home and work responsibilities, than parents in the WL condition. These short-term improvements were maintained at 4-months follow-up. There were also additional improvements in reported levels of work stress and parental distress at follow-up in the WPTP group compared to post-intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for the development of ‘family-friendly’ work environments and the prevention of child behaviour problems are discussed.