Session: The Effectiveness of Parenting Interventions As Preventive and Treatment Strategies in the Global South: Meta-Analysis and Case Studies from the Philippines and Chile (Society for Prevention Research 27th Annual Meeting)

A large body of research suggests that parenting is one of the most important factors protecting young people from emotional and behavioral difficulties. Parenting interventions are an important evidence-based strategy for preventing family violence and associated risks. Most rigorous trials of parenting interventions have been conducted in high-income countries in the Global North, with reviews identifying relatively few high-quality studies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The present symposium aims to reduce this gap in research by presenting the state-of-the-evidence today, with results of a new systematic review and meta-analysis, and two rigorous studies of parenting programs in LMICs. The first paper presents finding from an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of parenting programs for families with children aged 2―17 in LMICs, which analyzed data from over 80 randomized controlled trials (RCT) and high quality quasi-experimental studies. The second paper is a small-scale RCT of a parenting intervention in the Philippines that was integrated within an existing government-run conditional cash transfer system. The third paper discusses a pilot trial in Chile of a parenting intervention – Familia Activa – for parents diagnosed with depression. This symposium will provide a much-needed update of the evidence on the effectiveness of parenting interventions as preventive and treatment strategies to reduce health disparities and inequalities in the Global South.