Parents' experiences of parent training after reported child abuse: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background

Parenting programs can be effective for preventing child maltreatment, though effects are often modest, and motivating parents reported for abuse to participate in programs remains a challenge. Understanding parents' experiences can provide valuable insights into fostering parental motivation and improving programs.

Objective

This study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of parents' experiences of participating in Safer Kids, a parenting program routinely delivered in Sweden to parents reported for child abuse.

Participants and setting

Fifteen parents from a randomized controlled trial of Safer Kids were interviewed. The participants had children aged 2–12 years old and had been reported to Swedish child welfare services for physical or emotional child abuse.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Four key-themes were generated: mindful parenting, which describes that parents reported improved presence in daily life and perspective-taking; confidence facing challenges, describing participants' capacity to remain calm and to regulate their children's emotions; enjoying the relationship, describing parents' experiences of a stronger, more enjoyable parent–child relationship; and a desire to improve parenting competence, highlighting parents' motivation to enhance their parenting skills, which appeared to be a reason for participation.

Conclusions

Parents reflected positively on their experiences with Safer Kids and described several improvements to their parenting after the program. A central finding was that enhancing the ability to focus on the present moment seemed crucial for improving emotional regulation and the parent–child relationship quality.