Bradley, S. J., Jadaa, D. A., Brody, J., Landy, S., Tallett, S. E., Watson, W., Shea, B., & Stephens, D. (2003). Brief psychoeducational parenting program: An evaluation and 1-year follow-up. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(10), 1171–1178. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200310000-00007

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 222

Population:

• Age — 3–4 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Majority White
• Gender — Experimental group: 58.4% Male and 41.6% Female; Control group: 63.3% Male and 36.7% Female
• Status — Participants were volunteers recruited through community ads.

Location/Institution: Toronto, Canada

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to describe the randomized controlled evaluation of a four-session psychoeducational group for parents of preschoolers with behavior problems, delivered in community agencies. Participants were randomly assigned to 1-2-3 Magic or a wait-list control group. Measures utilized include the Parenting Scale (PS), the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ), the Preschool Characteristics Questionnaire (PCQ), and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Results indicate that the parents who received 1-2-3 Magic reported significantly greater improvement in parenting practices and a significantly greater reduction in child problem behavior than the control group. The gains in positive parenting behaviors were maintained at 1-year follow-up in a subset of the 1-2-3 Magic group. Limitations include the lack of a control group at the postintervention follow-up, and concerns about generalizability of the results due to the largely white, middle-class, and educated sample.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 1 year (intervention subgroup only).

Chesterfield, J. A., Porzig-Drummond, R., Stevenson, R. J., & Stevenson, C. S. (2021). Evaluating a brief behavioral parenting program for parents of school-aged children with ADHD. Parenting, 21(3), 216–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295192.2020.1777783

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 57

Population:

• Age — Parents: 33–58 years; Children: 6–12 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Parents: 82% Female, 18% Male; Children: 39% Female, 61% Male
• Status — Participants were volunteers recruited through community ads.

Location/Institution: Sydney, Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to assess whether a brief behavioral parenting program, 1-2-3 Magic, would be effective in reducing disruptive behavior and ADHD symptoms in school-aged children with ADHD and dysfunctional parenting in their parents. Participants were randomly allocated to the 1-2-3 Magic or waitlist-control group. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Parent Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF) and the Therapy Attitude Inventory (TAI) and the Conners 3rd Edition-Parent Short Form (Conners 3-P(S). Results indicate that parents in the 1-2-3 Magic reported less child disruptive behavior, reduced child ADHD symptom severity, and less dysfunctional parenting at post-intervention compared with controls. Post-intervention results indicated that the major intervention effects were maintained at the 6-month follow-up. Limitations include the lack of a control group at 6-month postintervention follow-ups, reliance on self-reported measures, and the small sample size.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 months (intervention group only).

The following studies were not included in rating 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12 on the Scientific Rating Scale...

Flaherty, R., & Cooper, R. (2010). Piloting a parenting skills program in an Australian rural child protection setting. Children Australia, 35(3), 18–24. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1035077200001139

Note: This article was not used in rating 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 since it was a modified version of the program. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effectiveness of a three-session version of the 1-2-3 Magic on parenting satisfaction and reduce levels of anxiety, depression, stress and dysfunctional parenting style in parents or caregivers of children who have experienced abuse. Participants were randomly assigned to an immediate intervention group or a 3-month waitlist control group. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Parenting Scale (PS), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS), and the Parenting Satisfaction Scale. Results indicate caregivers who received the intervention reported significant improvements in their mental health and discipline practices, and a significant reduction in child problem behavior compared to the waitlist control group. Limitations include the small sample size, reliability on self-reported measures, and length of follow-up.

Porzig-Drummond, R., Stevenson, R. J., & Stevenson, C. (2014). The 1-2-3 Magic parenting program and its effect on child problem behaviors and dysfunctional parenting: A randomized controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 58, 52-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2014.05.004

Note: This article was not used in rating 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 since it was a modified version of the program. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effectiveness of the 1-2-3 Magic parenting program when delivered to large groups of caregivers. The effectiveness of two versions of the programs (1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 and 1-2-3 Magic & Emotion Coaching) in reducing child problem behaviors and dysfunctional parenting, and the effect on emotion-related parenting style, were examined. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups: (1) the DVD group, based on the 1-2-3-Magic: Effective Discipline for Children program; (2) the Emotion Coaching (EC group), based on the 1-2-3-Magic & Emotion Coaching program; or (3) the Waitlist-control group (Control). Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Parent Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Emotion-Related Parenting Styles Self-Test (ERPS-ST). Results indicate that both intervention groups reported significantly decreased child problem behaviors, dysfunctional parenting, parental depression, and parental stress at the end of the intervention as compared to the control group. Additionally, the 1-2-3-Magic: Effective Discipline for Children group reported decreased parental anxiety, and the EC group reported a decrease in emotion-dismissing parenting style. Emotion-coaching parenting style remained unchanged for all groups at postintervention. The waitlist control group received 1-2-3 Magic when the 1-2-3-Magic: Effective Discipline for Children and EC groups completed the intervention. The results for the EC and 1-2-3-Magic: Effective Discipline for Children groups were maintained after three months. After two years, all within group effects were maintained for the 1-2-3-Magic: Effective Discipline for Children group. For the EC group, within group effects were maintained on the main outcome variables. Limitations include the lack of a control group at the 3-month and 2-year postintervention follow-ups and the small sample size for a study involving three groups.

Porzig-Drummond, R., Stevenson, R. J., & Stevenson, C. (2015). Preliminary evaluation of a self-directed video-based 1-2-3 Magic parenting program: A randomized controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 66, 32-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2015.01.003

This article was not used in rating 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 since it was a modified version of the program. This randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of a self-directed video-based format of the 1-2-3 Magic parenting program in reducing dysfunctional parenting and child problem behaviors. Parents were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (1-2-3 Magic) or the waitlist control group (control). Intervention-group participants could choose to view the program's video material in DVD format (and receive two DVDs by post), or to access the video material online via a secure link (with continued access until completion of the study). Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Parent Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Therapy Attitude Inventory. Results indicate participants in the 1-2-3 Magic group reported significantly less problem behaviors for their children, and significantly less dysfunctional parenting, at the end of the intervention when compared to the control group. Limitations include the lack of a control group at the 6-month postintervention follow-up, small sample size, concerns about the generalizability to other populations due to the largely college educated, married, above average income sample and the use of self-referred families, who may be more willing to complete self-directed work than others.

Bailey , E. L., van der Zwan, R., Phelan, T. W., & Brooks, A. (2015). Keeping it going: Evidence of long-term improvements after implementation of the 1-2-3 Magic Parenting Program. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 37(4), 303-320. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317107.2015.1104776

Note: This article was not used in rating 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 since it was a modified version of the program. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effectiveness of a two session version of the 1-2-3 Magic on child and parent behavior for families with school-aged children. Parent participants completed a total of 6 hours (2 x 3 hour sessions held over 2 consecutive days). Families were randomly allocated to one of two groups: The first received immediate training of 1-2-3 Magic (n=5; immediate intervention group) and the second (control or delayed-intervention group; n=7) received training 8 weeks later. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Parent Information Questionnaire (PIQ), and the Parenting Scale (PS). Results indicated only families who had received training reported significant improvement in child and parenting behavior. Limitations include small sample size, reliability of self-reported measures, and data from the 12-month follow-up assessment does not include any control data.

Porzig-Drummond, R., Stevenson, R. J., & Stevenson, C. (2016). A preliminary evaluation of the 1-2-3 Magic parenting program in an Australian community setting. Australian Social Work. 69(4), 388-402. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2015.1086010

Note: This article was not used in rating 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 since it was a modified version of the program. The aim of this one group pretest-posttest study was to investigate the effectiveness of a three session version of the 1-2-3 Magic & Emotion Coaching program on dysfunctional parenting styles, parental psychological adjustment and on children's disruptive behaviours. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Parent Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Therapy Attitude Inventory. Results indicate a significant decrease in disruptive child behaviour, permissive parenting, and parental depression and stress. Limitations include the lack of a comparison group and small sample size.