Adaptation of the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP) program for expectant parents: a pilot study

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Date
2024-12-19
Authors
Rodewald, Alyson
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Abstract

In many parts of the world prenatal education classes are a common practice that primarily focus on pregnancy and childbirth yet only minimally on preparation for parenthood and child development. Although pregnancy and childbirth are a relatively small proportion of the parenthood journey compared to the years spent parenting, there are currently no wide-spread prenatal parent education programs. Parents who do not understand expected child development or the harmful effects of punishment might respond to their children in ways that could have negative outcomes. Based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1990), the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP) program (Durrant, 2013) aims to reduce the incidence of physical punishment and promote positive parent-child relationships and healthy child development. PDEP was originally designed to be delivered to parents and caregivers of children from birth to 18 years of age. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility of delivering a modified version of the PDEP program to expectant parents, focusing on the first year of life. The modified program was named Positive Foundations for Everyday Parenting (PFEP), and Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour (1991) provided the theoretical foundation for this research. Participants’ knowledge of child development, preparedness for parenting and attitudes towards physical punishment were measured via a 10-item pretest and posttest, along with open-ended questions on the program itself. Findings showed that participants enjoyed the program and found the content to be helpful. All participants agreed they felt more confident about becoming a parent since taking PFEP and what they learned will help them better understand their baby and build a strong relationship with their baby. There was a trend noted in participants’ feeling better prepared for parenthood compared to pre-program. Findings from this pilot study provide support for larger scale intervention and research, and as a resource for nurses who care for families and expectant parents.

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Prenatal parenting education, Physical punishment, Parenting, Prenatal education
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