Universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth: a meta-review of systematic reviews.

Background: Preventive interventions in the form of parenting support can reduce the risk of mental disorders in children. Summarising the effectiveness of parenting interventions across different levels of prevention can inform the prioritisation of the intervention.

Objectives: We conducted a meta-review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent adverse mental health outcomes in youth.

Study selection and analysis: PubMed, Ovid, Embase and PsycNet were searched. Systematic reviews consisting of randomised controlled trials of preventative parenting interventions were included. We provided a narrative synthesis of the results and assessed the quantity and quality of evidence for each level of prevention (ie, universal, selective, indicated) and mental health outcome.

Findings: We identified 32 systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which included 354 randomised controlled trials, consisting of over 74 558 children and adolescents. Universal parenting interventions were effective in delaying the initiation of alcohol and cannabis use, but did not have consistent findings in preventing disruptive behaviour and mood disorders. Selective interventions were predominantly beneficial for disruptive behavioural problems across a variety of risk factors. Indicated interventions found substantial and consistent evidence for reducing problems in children with behavioural problems. Caution is warranted when interpreting findings, as the overall confidence rating of most reviews was very low, especially in the reporting of study selection and justifying exclusions in the AMSTAR-2.

Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need for robust evidence synthesis. Despite the limitations of the current evidence base, parenting interventions hold promise for preventing mental health disorders.