Effect of Training Positive Parenting Program on Motherchild Relationship among Mothers of Children with Externalizing Disorders

Background: Externalizing disorders affect the pediatric psychosocial development and mother-child relationship. The quality of mother-child relationship has a pivotal role in formation of the social personality, cognitive function, and mental health of a child. Aim: Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of training positive parenting program (Triple P) on improvement of the mother-child relationship in mothers of children with externalizing disorders. Method: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 60 mothers of children with externalizing disorders, who referred to the children and adolescent psychiatric clinic of Ibn-e-Sina Hospital and Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2015. For the intervention group, Triple P was implemented as eight training sessions of 120 minutes during two months. The mother-child relationship was evaluated by Mother- Child Relationship Evaluation questionnaire. All the data were analyzed by SPSS using paired t-test, Wilcoxon test, and analysis of covariance. Results: In the pre-intervention phase, the two groups were homogeneous in terms of mother-child relationship aspects, including overprotection, radical underestimation, and child rejection. Immediately post-intervention, the mean scores of all mother-child relationship dimensions in the intervention group were significantly higher than the control group (P 0.05). Concerning the acceptance item, the analysis of covariance test by eliminating the effect of pre-intervention score showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups after intervention (P 0.001). Implications for Practice: The Triple P training can lead in improved mother-child relationship in mothers of children with externalizing disorders. Consequently, this approach is recommended to promote the mother-child relationship.