Predictors of commitment and atendance in a parent training program
Parent Training Programs (PTP) help children who experience behavioural problems and their families. However, parents attend less than 50 % of the meetings. Participants’ attendance and commitment are related to the obtained results. Some attendance predictors, mostly social-demographic, have been identified through research. On the other hand, these researches afford few clinical solutions to the intervening parties facing parents’ attendance problems. Kazdin’s theoretical model (1996) suggests that the barriers perceived by participants negatively affect attendance to meetings, and predict parents’ dropout, beyond social-demographic traits. The purpose of this study is to verify the link between parents’ attendance and commitment and their perception of their child’s behaviour, their parental skills (self-efficacy), the parental distress associated to their role as parents, their family functioning and the pros and cons of their change. The sample is constituted by fifty-two parents who took part in the PTP The Incredible Years due to their 6 to 9-year old children’s ADHD. The attendance was measured by the number of meetings the parents attended. Commitment was observed through a coding system evaluating involvement in discussion, personal openness, resistance to content and homework’s realization. Results show that parents attend less when they perceive opposition from their child and cons to change their practices and when they experience parental distress. Parents who perceive cognitive problems or inattention in their child seem less committed during meetings while those who perceive pros in modifying their practices are more involved. Solutions to promote active participation in PTP are explored in the discussion.