A British television series to help people with their parenting skills, using a program devised by a University of Queensland academic, starts its second season today in the U.K.
The ITV1 series Driving Mum and Dad Mad will follow a new set of families as they try out the Triple P parenting program.
This program was devised by Professor Matt Sanders from The University of Queensland in Australia, and aims to improve children’s behaviour by rebuilding positive relationships, tackling discipline and setting rules and limits.
Teams from both UQ and the University of Manchester are collaborating on The Great Parenting Experiment which will run alongside the series, wherein parents of three – nine year-old children will be asked to watch the shows and try out its advice for themselves. The Great Parenting Experiment is funded by the British Home Office.
The study will test whether, by adopting the ideas suggested, mums and dads can improve their children’s behaviour and reduce their own stress levels.
Phase two of The Great Parenting Experiment, which aims to find out whether watching "positive parenting" TV shows can really help address problems like child aggression and tantrums, is being launched by clinical psychologist Rachel Calam of The University of Manchester this week.
“One group of families will simply be asked to watch the programs and put into practice what they see, whilst another will be given additional support," Dr Calam said.
"Everyone will receive a free self-help workbook at some point during the study.
“Parents will be asked to fill in questionnaires about their child’s behaviour, how well they are dealing with parenting and how they are feeling, before and after watching the series and again a few months later.
“The information we gather will help us understand more about how helpful positive parenting TV is to parents and children. We hope that the parents will find that their child’s behaviour improves and any emotional problems are addressed, and that their own levels of depression, anxiety and stress will be reduced.”
The first series of Driving Mum and Dad Mad in spring 2005 followed the experiences of five families attending a Triple P group. An average of 4.23 million viewers watched the show, with 500 families taking part in The Great Parenting Experiment in parallel.
All the parents who followed the TV series and used the strategies shown reported improved behaviour in their child, and greater confidence in managing it. The group receiving additional web-based information and email support experienced an even greater improvement, and six months after the series all the families reported long term benefits and continued improvements to their children’s behaviour (for more information on phase one please visit www.greatparentingexperiment.net/gpe1.asp).
Media: Further information, Leanne Wilkinson, Marketing Manager, Triple P International Pty Ltd 07 3236 1212.
.jpg)
