Effectiveness of Interventions on Parenting Outcomes in Families With Children Under 3 Years of Age: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Published Randomized Controlled Trials

The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of parenting interventions for improving parenting outcomes among general families with children under 3 years of age and without special conditions. Literature retrieval was carried out in six databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. A total of 8,248 articles were screened against prespecified criteria. Findings of included studies were synthesized and if data were available, meta-analysis using random effects model was conducted. Subgroup analyses were conducted to test the effect of several moderators (intervention types, intervention duration, time lag between the end of intervention and first post-intervention measurement) in explaining the heterogeneity of the results. Twenty articles from 19 studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review, of which 14 studies provided sufficient data for meta-analysis. Compared to control groups, parenting interventions significantly reduced parenting stress (standardized mean difference [SMD] = −0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] [−0.45, −0.15], p < .001, n = 9), and increased parenting self-efficacy (SMD = 0.61, 95% CI [0.12, 1.10], p = .02, n = 9). Only one study on child maltreatment outcome was retrieved and it reported that child maltreatment was reduced after intervention. No statistically significant differences in the pooled effect size across pre-specified moderators were observed. Among families without special conditions, parenting interventions showed effectiveness in reducing parenting stress and improving parenting self-efficacy, suggesting families at low risk can benefit from parenting interventions. Implications for future practice and research are discussed.