Subjects comprised four groups including: 73 judges; 90 family law practitioners; 38 psychologists; and 43 psychology graduate students. The subjects completed surveys designating the five most relevant and the five least relevant factors of effective parenting from a list of 85 such factors. As hypothesized, the family law attorneys and family law judges generated similar clusters of factors while the results of the psychologists and psychology graduate students likewise clustered similarly. These results suggest the possibility of the existence of common cognitive structures used in the custody decision-making process. Results could be used in the modification and refinement of the Custody Quotient (CQ) Technique. Future study could focus more specifically on the cognitive structures particular subjects use in making custody decisions.

The purpose of this study was to assess the immediate and delayed effectiveness of Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP), an Adlerian-based parent study group programme. STEP is a nine-session, multi-media package which combines communication skills with basic Adlerian principles. The focus of the study was the parents. The dependent variables were: parents' perceptions of their Target Children's behaviour; parents' knowledge of an Adlerian approach to child-rearing; and parental perceptions of their own behaviour and feelings. Measurement of the dependent variables was by the use of the following instruments: the Adlerian Parent Assessment of Child Behavior Scale (APACBS), a 32-item interval scale developed to assess parents' perceptions of typical child behaviours dealt with in the STEP programme; the STEP Questionnaire, a cognitively-based questionnaire based on the content component of the STEP programme; and individual interviews held with the mothers in the Experimental (STEP) Group. The Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design was used in the study. Both the parents in the STEP and Control Groups were either clients or potential clients of an Educational Clinic, or had been referred by a School Counsellor. The STEP programme was run with strict adherence to materials and format by the researcher. Measurements were taken immediately following the completion of the programme and again 14 weeks later. Results indicated significant positive short- and longterm changes in parental perceptions of their children's behaviour as measured by APACBS after involvement in a STEP programme. Short- and long-term changes also occurred in the parents' knowledge of an Adlerian approach to childrearing as measured by the STEP Questionnaire. The STEP Group mothers reported changes in their behaviour and feelings following participation in a STEP programme. Some recommendations for further research are: replication of the study with various populations; studies measuring actual observed behaviour of the child, and the parent; effects of STEP as a minor strand or part of an ongoing parent education programme; the effects of varying levels of skills of leaders; and the incorporation of video cassette recordings of the audio tapes in the STEP kit.

The effectiveness of guided imagery as an enhancement to the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program was explored during a shortened 8-week program using three parent groups of elementary-age students matched for parent training experience and couple participation: a) an imagery-modified STEP group (STEP-Im, n = 14); b) a traditional STEP group (STEP, n = 14); and c) a drop-out comparison group (n = 10). Guided imagery consisted of centering exercise(s) for focus and concentration; structured imagery of Adlerian concepts; and open-ended role-assumption imagery for clarifying personal values, the perspectives of others, and concept practice.

An analysis of previous reviews of the parent education literature revealed that few reviewers have incorporated sound methodological practice in their review process. Most reviewers included too few studies and ignored important information about the primary research studies that they reviewed. The Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program has received less attention from reviewers than any of the other popular programs and information about its effectiveness is lacking. Forty primary research studies, addressing the effectiveness of the STEP program, were located and analyzed using the meta-analytic method of review. Research questions for this study addressed the issues of effectiveness in terms of parent and child attitude change, behavioral change, psychological functioning, changes in self-esteem, changes in the family environment, and changes in parent/child interactions. The variables that were coded and analyzed included the quality of the study, the publication source, socioeconomic status of the family, special parent characteristics (e.g., drug-addicted, abusive, Chicano, foreign), any children's handicaps (e.g . , learning disabled, Title I), type of group leader (professional or nonprofessional), type of tapes used (audiotape or videotape), design methodology, type of program participants (e.g., only mothers, couples, mixed parent groups), age of parents, education of parents, and age of child(ren). The dependent variables were coded and categorized into nine categories for parent measures and five categories for child measures . Effect sizes were computed for both immediate effects (immediately following treatment) and follow-up effects (after a designated elapsed time). Moderate effect sizes were found which diminished with the passage of time. The STEP program was found to be more effective with couples than with mothers or with mixed parent groups. In addition, the program was found to be more effective with younger, less educated parents with younger children. Also, although representing only a few studies, it was found that exposure to the STEP program was associated with larger effect sizes for abusive and drug-addicted parents. Regression analyses were conducted for selected dependent measures, and raw score prediction formulas were constructed using the age of parents, age of children, and education of parents as predictor variables. Suggestions are made for future research directions in the area of parent education and, specifically, changes in the STEP program that might add to its effectiveness.

Contexte. Les instances de recherche en pédiatrie mentionnent que le temps d’écran crée des conséquences négatives immédiates et ultérieures sur la santé et les saines habitudes de vie des enfants et des adolescents. Ils suggèrent une supervision parentale, un encadrement du temps d’écran ainsi que des espaces et des moments sans écrans. Toutefois, nous savons que les pratiques parentales efficaces sont la source primaire de socialisation et établissent donc les habitudes de vie d’une famille. Les pratiques parentales sont aussi souvent utilisées dans des programmes de prévention pour les comportements et pour les habitudes de vie chez les jeunes. Objectif. Nous souhaitons examiner l’effet modérateur des pratiques parentales efficaces sur les liens entre la présence d’une télévision dans la chambre des garçons et filles au préscolaire et les saines habitudes de vie ultérieures (l’activité physique à l’extérieur des heures scolaires, les habitudes alimentaires et la durée du sommeil). Méthode. Les participants (929 garçons et 930 filles) proviennent d’une cohorte de naissances de l’Étude longitudinale du développement des enfants du Québec (ÉLDEQ). La télévision dans la chambre (rapportée par l’enfant et confirmée par l’intervieweur) et les pratiques parentales efficaces (rapportées par la mère) ont été récoltées à 4 ans. Les saines habitudes de vies (rapportées par la mère) ont été récoltées à 10 ans. Des régressions linéaires ont été effectuées pour tester l’hypothèse d’une modération en faisant des analyses stratifiées par le sexe, tout en contrôlant pour des caractéristiques individuelles et familiales. Résultats. La télévision dans la chambre n’est pas associée significativement sur les saines habitudes de vies, tant chez les gars et les filles. Les pratiques parentales modèrent significativement le lien entre la télévision dans la chambre et l’activité physique à l’extérieur des heures scolaires chez les gars. Des pratiques parentales efficaces élevées chez les garçons augmentent l’activité physique à l’extérieur des heures scolaires quand un garçon a une télévision dans sa chambre, comparativement à des pratiques parentales efficaces faibles. Pour les filles, les pratiques parentales efficaces prédisent une plus grande durée de sommeil, en tant qu’effet direct. Les pratiques parentales modèrent significativement le lien entre la télévision dans la chambre et la durée du sommeil chez les filles. Les pratiques parentales efficaces élevées augmentent la durée du sommeil quand une fille a une télévision dans sa chambre, comparativement à des pratiques parentales efficaces faibles. Conclusion. Les pratiques parentales efficaces peuvent être considérées comme un facteur de protection sur les saines habitudes de vie associées avec une télévision de la chambre, améliorant ainsi les chances d’un développement optimal chez l’enfant. Ainsi, la parentalité est une cible pertinente pour les programmes de prévention, particulièrement pour l’activité physique à l’extérieur des heures scolaires chez les garçons et la durée du sommeil chez les filles. / Background. Community pediatricians and allied youth services report that screen time creates immediate and subsequent well-being and lifestyle risks in children and adolescents. In fact, current guidelines recommend parental supervision and monitoring of screen time as well as screen-free spaces and moments. Effective parenting practices are often targeted in prevention programs addressing behavioral development and diminishing risk for mental psychopathologies. Little is known regarding the role of parenting in effectuating guidelines. Objective. This study aims to examine the moderating effect of parenting practices on the relationship between the presence of a television in the preschool child’s bedroom and subsequent healthy lifestyle habits (physical activity outside school hours, healthy eating habits and sleep duration). Methods. Participants (929 boys and 930 girls) are from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD) birth cohort. Bedroom television (reported by children and confirmed by interviewer) and effective parenting practices (reported by mothers) were collected at age 4. Mothers reported on chilren’s healthy lifestyle habits at age 10. Linear regressions were conducted, stratified by sex, to test expected moderation hypothesis by controlling for child and family characteristics. Results. Bedroom television was not significantly associated with lifestyle risks, both in boys and girls. Parenting practices significantly moderated the relationship between bedroom television and physical activity outside school hours for boys. Better parenting practices were associated with increases in physical activity outside school hours when a bedroom television was present, compared with lower effective parenting practices. For girls, effective parenting for girls predicted higher sleep duration as a direct effect. Parenting practices significantly moderated the relationship between bedroom television and sleep duration for girls. Better parenting practices were associated with increases sleep duration in the presence of a bedroom television, compared with lower effective parenting practices. Conclusion. Effective parenting practices can be considered as a protective factor for lifestyle habits associated with the presence of a television in the preschool bedroom, thus bettering chances of optimal development. These findings support the role of parenting as a program target for risk prevention.