Manuscript Details

Chang, H., Shaw, D. S., Dishion, T. J., Gardner, F., & Wilson, M. N. (2015). Proactive parenting and children's effortful control: Mediating role of language and indirect intervention effects. Social Development, 24(1), 206-223.

High rating
Study reviewed under: Handbook of Procedures and Standards, Version 1
Study design characteristics contributing to rating
Design Attrition Baseline equivalence Confounding factors? Valid, reliable measures?
Randomized controlled trial Low

Established on race/ethnicity and SES; not established on baseline measures of the outcomes.

None

Not assessed in manuscripts reviewed under Handbook of Procedures and Standards, Version 1
Notes from the review of this manuscript

In addition to the outcome that rated high, several outcomes in this study rated low: verbal ability at ages 3, 4, and 5; three measures of effortful control at age 5 (the wrapped-gift task, draw-a-star task, and tower task); and a second proactive parenting analysis at age 3 (correlation). These outcomes rated low because we could not assess attrition or baseline equivalence based on information reported in the study, nor was this information available from the author. Also, some outcomes in the structural equation models reported in this study were not eligible for review because the model did not estimate the direct, total effect of the intervention on the outcome.This study is part of a large RCT described by Dishion et al. (2008).

Positive Parenting Practices
Outcome Measure Timing of Follow-Up Rating Direction of Effect Effect Size (Absolute Value) Stastical Significance Sample Size Sample Description
Proactive Parenting, Age 3, SEM Age 3 High
Statistically significant, p 731 caregivers WIC sites in Pittsburgh, PA, Eugene, OR, and Charlottesville, VA
Effect rating key
Favorable finding / Statistically significant
Unfavorable finding / Statistically significant
Ambiguous finding / Statistically significant
No effect / Not statistically significant

This study included participants with the following characteristics at enrollment:

Race/Ethnicity

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if Hispanic ethnicity was reported separately or respondents could select two or more race or ethnicity categories.

Black or African American
28%
Hispanic or Latino
13%
White
50%
Two or more races
13%
Unknown
9%

Maternal Education

Less than a high school diploma
24%
High school diploma or GED
41%
Unknown
35%

Other Characteristics

Enrollment in means-tested programs
100%

This study included participants from the following locations:

  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Virginia
Study Participants

The study included 731 families that met two criteria. First, they participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) when their son or daughter was between 2 years 0 months old and 2 years 11 months old. Second, they met the study’s criteria for being at risk for behavior problems—defined as one standard deviation or more above normative averages in at least two of three domains: (1) child behavior problems (such as conduct problems or high-conflict relationships with adults); (2) primary caregiver problems (such as maternal depression, daily parenting challenges, self-reported substance or mental health diagnosis, or status as a teen parent at first birth); and (3) socioeconomic status (a caregiver with low educational achievement or low family income based on WIC criteria). Screening was conducted in 2002 and 2003. Of the 731 primary caregivers who agreed to participate, 41 percent had a high school diploma or GED, 32 percent had one or two years of post-high school training, and 24 percent had less than a high school diploma or GED. More than two-thirds of the randomized sample had an annual income below $20,000. Of the 731 children in the study, 50 percent were European American, 28 percent were African American, 13 percent were biracial, and 9 percent were from another racial group. Thirteen percent were Hispanic. The children were 29.9 months old on average at the time of the age 2 assessments. Forty-nine percent of the children were female, and 58 percent lived in two-parent households.

Setting

Families were recruited from WIC program sites in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (37 percent of sample); Eugene, Oregon (37 percent of sample); and Charlottesville, Virginia (26 percent of sample).

Intervention condition
Comparison Conditions

Families in the comparison group received the Family Check-Up intervention’s comprehensive assessment but did not receive any other interventions or services.

Author Affiliation

The authors are associated with Sungkyunkwan University, the University of Pittsburgh, Arizona State University, the University of Oxford, and the University of Virginia. In addition, Thomas Dishion, a study author, is a developer of this model.

Funding Sources

National Institute on Drug Abuse grants 023245 and 2003723 (Shaw, Dishion, Wilson); Samsung Research Fund, Sungkyunkwan University, 2012 (Chang)