TY  - EJOU
AU  - Peng, Jin 
AU  - He, Jiabei 
AU  - Li, Na 

TI  - Pilot Study of a School-Based Parenting Intervention: Prevention of Emotional and Behavioral Problems among Chinese Children
T2  - International Journal of Mental Health Promotion

PY  - 2025
VL  - 27
IS  - 7
SN  - 2049-8543

AB  -  <b>Background:</b> Parenting exerts a profound influence on children’s mental health and behavioral development. Despite the high prevalence of children’s emotional and behavioral problems (CEBP) in China, evidence-based parenting interventions remain scarcely investigated as preventive public health strategies. This pilot study evaluated a school-based intervention for preventing CEBP. <b>Methods:</b> We employed a quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching (PSM) to select 28 families (intervention: n = 13; control: n = 15) from two matched urban primary schools. Quantitative data from seven validated scales were analyzed using <i>t</i>-tests and ANCOVA. Qualitative insights were derived from 10 semi-structured interviews via thematic analysis. <b>Results:</b> Compared to the control group, the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in CEBP (<i>p</i> = 0.020, Cohen’s d = 0.92), parental adjustment (<i>p</i> = 0.031, Cohen’s d = 0.80), parenting confidence (<i>p</i> = 0.003, Cohen’s d = 1.04), and parent-child relationships (<i>p</i> = 0.001, Cohen’s d = 1.46). Non-significant effects were observed for parenting style, parental relationship, and parenting conflict (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Qualitative analysis corroborated these findings and further identified contributing factors for non-significant outcomes, including challenges with measurement adaptability and inconsistent co-parenting practices. <b>Conclusions:</b> This pilot study suggests that an authoritative parenting style may be effective and culturally adaptable in China. Positive parenting interventions appear to mitigate CEBP by reducing risk factors and enhancing protective factors. However, improving parental relationships and parenting conflict may require targeted strategies. Given the pilot nature of this PSM-matched study (n = 28), the findings should be interpreted as exploratory and used primarily for intervention refinement.
KW  - Parenting intervention; children; school-based; China; emotional and behavioral problems

DO  - 10.32604/ijmhp.2025.066405