Effectiveness of the circle of security parenting program in reducing children's behavioral challenges and parental stress, anxiety, and depression in a Saudi Arabian sample.

backgroundAttachment-based parenting programs have shown promise in strengthening parent-child relationships. Although some studies have examined their impact on parental and child mental health, evidence remains limited, particularly in non-Western contexts. To our knowledge, this is the first study to implement an Arabic version of the Circle of Security Parenting program to address this gap.

methodsThe potential effectiveness of the Circle of Security Parenting program among Saudi Arabian parents of children aged 2-5 years old was evaluated using a one-group pretest-posttest design. A total of 114 parents enrolled; however, only 41 participants who completed all eight sessions were included in the final analysis.

resultsPost-intervention scores indicated reductions in parent-reported child behavioral difficulties and improvements in parental stress, depression, and anxiety.

conclusionThese findings suggest that the Circle of Security Parenting program may be a promising attachment-based intervention for Saudi Arabian parents. Improvements in Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and Child Behavior Checklist scores from baseline to post-intervention highlight its potential utility. However, further research using controlled designs is needed to establish its effectiveness more robustly.