Trial reportSocial science & medicine (1982)2020
Parenting, mental health and economic pathways to prevention of violence against children in South Africa.
Trial report in Social science & medicine (1982), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- Primary-level and community worker interventions for the prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of well-being in low- and middle-income countries.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Generalized structural equation modeling of intimate partner violence among married women in East Africa using population-based data.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Article
- A Community Intervention to Increase Positive Parenting: A Three-Year Cohort Study in South Africa.Psychosocial intervention · 2026Article
- The relationship between household economic shocks, depression, and elevated stress-responsive biomarkers among adolescent girls and young women in rural South Africa (HPTN 068).Journal of affective disorders · 2025Article
- A Scoping Review of Family-Based Prevention Strategies in Adolescent Mental Health.Psychology research and behavior management · 2025Review
- Successful child sexual violence prevention efforts start with data: how the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey helped curb the tide of child sexual violence in 20 countries.BMJ paediatrics open · 2024Article
- Effectiveness of a family violence prevention program on mental health outcomes for adult men and women in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo: Insights from a pilot trial.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2024Article
- Risks and opportunities for children's well-being in resource-constrained multigenerational households during COVID-19: Implications for school psychology interventions.School Psychology International · 2023Article
- Assessing the cost-effectiveness of economic strengthening and parenting support for preventing violence against adolescents in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa: An economic modelling study using non-randomised data.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Qualitative perspectives on COVID-19, interpersonal violence, and interventions to improve well-being from adolescent girls and young women in Kisumu, Kenya.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2023Article
- Are Children Harmed by Being Locked up at Home? The Impact of Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Phenomenon of Domestic Violence.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- Using network analysis to illuminate the intergenerational transmission of adversity.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2022Article
- Accelerating Sustainable Development Goals for South African adolescents from high HIV prevalence areas: a longitudinal path analysis.BMC medicine · 2021Article
- Violence prevention accelerators for children and adolescents in South Africa: A path analysis using two pooled cohorts.PLoS medicine · 2020Article
- Accelerating ontological security for South African adolescents living in high HIV-prevalence areas: a longitudinal study.Psychology, health & medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 9 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundParenting programs based on social learning theory have increasing empirical evidence for reducing violence against children. Trials are primarily from high-income countries and with young children. Globally, we know little about how parenting programs work to reduce violence, with no known studies in low or middle-income countries (LMICs). This study examines mechanisms of change of a non-commercialized parenting program, Parenting for Lifelong Health for Teens, designed with the World Health Organization and UNICEF. A cluster randomized trial showed main effects on parenting and other secondary outcomes. We conducted secondary analysis of trial data to investigate five potential mediators of reduced violence against children: improved parenting, adolescent behaviour, caregiver mental health, alcohol/drug avoidance, and family economic strengthening.
methodsThe trial was implemented in rural South Africa with 40 sites, n = 552 family dyads (including adolescents aged 10-18 and primary caregivers). Intervention sites (n = 20) received the 14-session parenting program delivered by local community members, including modules on family budgeting and savings. Control sites (n = 20) received a brief informational workshop. Emotional and physical violence against children/adolescents and each potential mediator were reported by adolescents and caregivers at baseline and 9-13 months post-randomisation. Structural equation modelling was used to test simultaneous hypothesized pathways to violence reduction.
resultsImprovements in four pathways mediated reduced violence against children: 1) improved parenting practices, 2) improved caregiver mental health (reduced depression), 3) increased caregiver alcohol/drug avoidance and 4) improved family economic welfare. Improved child behaviour was not a mediator, although it was associated with less violence.
conclusionsSimultaneously bolstering a set of family processes can reduce violence. Supporting self-care and positive coping for caregivers may be essential in challenging contexts. In countries with minimal or no economic safety nets, linking social learning parenting programs with economic strengthening skills may bring us closer to ending violence against children.
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