A preliminary evaluation of the Confident Kids Program: A stand alone component of the Exploring Together Program
Margot Trinder
Exploring Together, Carlton VIC
Michelle Soltys
Exploring Together, Carlton VIC
Susie Burke
Exploring Together, Carlton VIC
PP: 041 - 050
Abstract
This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Confident Kids Program, as a separate component of the multi-group Exploring Together Program (ETP). Confident Kids aims to reduce children's behavioural and emotional difficulties through a group program for primary school children that meets once weekly for 10 weeks.
This report presents an analysis of pre-post data collected from 39 parents whose children attended the Confident Kids programs and 48 teachers in the state of Victoria. Following the program, significant improvements were noted in parent reports of children's internalising and externalising difficulties, levels of parenting satisfaction and parenting styles. Teachers also reported a significant improvement in children's internalising behaviour from pre- to post-program. The benefits of offering both multi-group and single component interventions in school and community settings are also discussed.
Keywords
children, teachers, parents, parenting, emotional problems, behavioural problems, evaluation, program evaluation
Article Text
Mental health problems are growing at an alarming rate with predictions of a 50 percent increase in the next decade compared with other health related problems (DeAngelis, 2004). Approximately one in five children experience mental health issues (DeAngelis, 2004; Maddern, Franey, McLaughlin & Cox, 2004). Amongst primary school aged children (4-12 years) in Australia, 15 percent of boys and 14 percent of girls are reported to have clinically significant behavioural or emotional problems (Sawyer, Arney, Baghurst et al., 2001). Early identification of problems and effective interventions for children are crucial in reducing the rates of mental health problems in children.
Behavioural and emotional problems in primary school aged children can cause significant difficulties in children's healthy development. For many children, they are also predictive of longer-term antisocial behaviours and mental health problems (Kazdin, 1995; Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2003; Wren, Scholle, Heo & Comer, 2003). Some children show symptoms that are consistent with diagnoses of Anxiety, Depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADHD), and Conduct Disorder (CD) (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). As well as causing significant distress for children and families during their childhood, children with emotional and behavioural problems face an increased risk of low self-esteem, relationship problems with peers and family members, academic difficulties, early school leaving, adolescent homelessness, the development of substance abuse issues and criminality (Scott, Knapp, Henderson & Maughan, 2001; Wren et al., 2003).
In order to address the current impacts on children's lives, as well as prevent long-term antisocial behaviours and mental health problems in adolescence and adulthood, early identification and effective treatment of childhood behavioural and emotional problems is crucial. Research has shown that the most effective interventions include parent training programs (Brestan & Eyberg, 1998; Sanders, Ralph, Thompson et al., 2007; Taylor & Biglan, 1998; Webster-Stratton & Hammond, 1997), children's social problem solving and emotion management training (Kazdin, Esveldt-Dawson, French & Unis, 1987; Shure, 1993; Spivack & Shure, 1989), parent-child interaction therapy (Eyeberg, Boggs & Algina, 1995) and a combination of these components (Hemphill & Littlefield, 2001; Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2003).
An effective intervention that combines parent behaviour management training, children's social problem solving and emotion management training and parent-child interactive therapy is the Exploring Together Program (ETP) (Hemphill & Littlefield, 2001). Small groups of six to eight primary school aged children and their primary caregivers attend the ETP for 1¾ hours per week for 10 weeks. Separate, concurrent groups are held simultaneously for parents/carers and children (lasting 1 hour) each week, immediately followed by a combined parent-child group (lasting 45 minutes). Throughout the program, additional meetings are held on two occasions for attending parents and their partners or support people. Group leaders also meet twice with children's teachers, once near the start and again near the end of the program.
ETP was designed to be conducted as a short-term intervention program for primary school aged children (6 to 12 years old). It has also been adapted for secondary school students (12 to 16 year olds) and for preschool aged children (3 to 6 year olds). Since the early 1990s, Exploring Together Programs for primary school students have been implemented in suburban and regional areas of Australia in a large variety of schools and community agencies, with the majority of programs being conducted by teachers, social workers and psychologists trained in the program. Studies have revealed the program's continuing effectiveness and efficacy (Hemphill, 1996; Hemphill & Littlefield, 2001; Littlefield, Burke, Trinder et al., 2000).
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