Program Helps At-Risk Parents Cope, GSE Researchers Find

Socially isolated, highly stressed parents are more likely to abuse or neglect their children than are their more sociable, serene peers. Research also suggests that a strong social network can have a buffering effect on the corrosive effects of stress.

To evaluate an intervention designed to mitigate parental isolation and stress, John Fantuzzo and his colleagues conducted a randomized field trial with 116 socially isolated Head Start parents, 40 of whom had a history of child maltreatment.

The intervention, called COPE (Community Outreach through Parent Empowerment), was designed by Howard Stevenson. A community-based program, it incorporates two major components: an informal parent support group and group-training sessions that focus on lessening parental stress through friendships and other social connections. “Whereas the content of the sessions was focused on stressors,” the authors explain, “the process of the sessions emphasized connecting isolated and vulnerable parents with other Head Start parents.” 

The study revealed that, post-intervention, parents who had received the COPE training reported lower stress levels than did the control group. They were also more likely to talk with other Head Start parents and to participate with them in Head Start and other activities.

While the authors acknowledge the need for further research, the study makes a strong argument for the intervention, particularly in the Head Start context. Rather than stigmatizing and imposing a solution, it provides mental health treatment for at-risk parents and enlists their peers as leaders in its training.

“An Investigation of a Community-Based Intervention for Socially Isolated Parents with a History of Child Maltreatment” appears in Journal of Family Violence, 22.