Promoting positive parenting: Theoretical foundations and participant evaluation of an online group intervention

In-person interventions addressing parenting practices are well established in psychological literature.However, remote psychological services have become more widely available due to the social distancing measures imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.This study aimed to report and evaluate an intervention on positive parenting practices, consisting of eight two-hour sessions, each addressing a specific theme.Thirty caregivers, primarily mothers of 3 to 12-year-old children with typical development, participated in an online mediated group intervention.The theoretical foundations of each session are described along with the results obtained on the parenting-related variables (parental investment, coparenting, involvement, family adjustment, conflict resolution) and child behavior problems from the caregivers' perceptions.These variables were measured using six instruments applied before and after participation in the intervention.Differences between the pre-and post-test scores were analyzed using a nonparametric statistical test.Additionally, participants completed a qualitative evaluation form, which was analyzed using Content Analysis.Although caregivers positively evaluated the intervention, the comparison between the pre-and post-test results showed statistically significant differences only in children's emotional problems, which decreased after the intervention.The findings suggest that the intervention did not produce the expected changes in other variables.Possible factors contributing to this outcome are discussed.