Home > JPER > Vol. 4 (2017) > No. 2

Evaluating the Efficacy of an Attachment-Informed Psychotherapeutic Parenting Program for Incarcerated Parents

N. Laura Kamptner, Professor, Department of Psychology California State University, San BernardinoFollow
Faith H. Teyber, California State University, San BernardinoFollow
Nicholas J. Rockwood, California State University, San BernardinoFollow
Dolly Drzewiecki, California State University, San BernardinoFollow

Keywords

Parent Education, Children of Incarcerated Parents, Intergenerational Transfer of Parenting Patterns

Abstract

An attachment-based, psychotherapeutic parent education course was created for incarcerated mothers and fathers to improve their ability to provide positive parenting and a more stable home environment for their children. The current study assessed the effects of this parenting curriculum on parents’ tendencies to be abusive, their sense of efficacy and satisfaction as a parent, their psychological distress, and their knowledge of child development and positive child guidance strategies. Results of pre-post assessments showed a significant improvement in parents’ sense of efficacy and satisfaction in the parenting role; their knowledge, skills, and behavior as a parent; their understanding of child development; their knowledge of alternatives to using corporal punishment; establishing appropriate parent-child boundaries; and they were less likely to view their child’s independence as a threat. Females showed a significant decrease in distress symptoms. Results are discussed in terms of the critical need for effective, high-quality parent education to break the intergenerational cycle of poor parenting for this at-risk population.