Trial reportBMC psychology2017
The effectiveness of universal parenting programmes: the CANparent trial.
Trial report in BMC psychology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Universal Digital Programs for Promoting Mental and Relational Health for Parents of Young Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2024Pooled it
- What Works to Improve Wellbeing? A Rapid Systematic Review of 223 Interventions Evaluated with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scales.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Little All Children in Focus (Little ACF) - evaluation of a parenting support programme for parents of children aged 1-2 years in Sweden: a randomised controlled trial.BMC public health · 2026Trial
- Trial
- The power of the group - Group-based parenting programmes for disadvantaged parents and their infants: a realist review.International journal of nursing studies advances · 2026Review
- A mixed methods study of early childhood providers' perceptions of the acceptability and feasibility of parenting for lifelong Health tip sheets in Ontario, Canada.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- A cost-effectiveness analysis of a universal, preventative-focused, parent and infant programme.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Baby and us: Community-based, Feasibility Trial of a Psychosocial Intervention for New Parents and their Infants.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2022Article
- Impact of a peer-led, community-based parenting programme delivered at a national scale: an uncontrolled cohort design with benchmarking.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Protocol for randomized control trial of a digital-assisted parenting intervention for promoting Malaysian children's mental health.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- "Putting Meat on the Bones": Understanding the Implementation of a Community-Based Early Intervention and Prevention Programme-Contextual, Person, and Programme Influences.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2021Article
- The Effect of Community-Based Parent Education Program on Parenting Stress According to Adult Attachment Styles.Soa--ch'ongsonyon chongsin uihak = Journal of child & adolescent psychiatry · 2019Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is substantial evidence for the efficacy and effectiveness of targeted parenting programmes but much less evidence regarding universal parenting programmes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the CANparent Trial of 12 universal parenting programmes, which were made available to parents of all children aged 0-6 years in three local authorities in England. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of universal parenting programmes on this scale.
methodsParents accessed a voucher, value £100, to attend an accredited programme of parenting classes. Parents completed measures of their mental well-being, parenting efficacy, parenting satisfaction, and parenting stress, at pre- and post-course. Comparative data were derived from a sample of non-participant parents in 16 local authorities not providing CANparent programmes. A quasi-experimental design was adopted following estimation of propensity scores to balance the two groups on socio-demographic variables.
resultsFollowing their programme, changes in parenting stress were small and nonsignificant (Cohen's d frequency 0.07; intensity, 0.17). Participating parents showed significantly greater improvements than the comparison group for parenting efficacy (0.89) but not parenting satisfaction (-0.01). Mental well-being improved from 0.29 SD below the national norm to the national norm after the course. Parents were overwhelmingly positive about their course (88-94%) but this was lower for improvement in their relationship with their child (74%) and being a better parent (76%).
conclusionsThe CANparent Trial demonstrated that universal parenting programmes can be effective in improving parents' sense of parenting efficacy and mental well-being when delivered to the full range of parents in community settings. However, there was no evidence of a reduction in levels of parenting stress; nor was there a significant improvement in satisfaction with being a parent. This is the first study of its kind in the UK; although the results point to a population benefit, more research is needed to determine whether benefits can be maintained in the longer term and whether they will translate into better parenting practices.
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