Havighurst, S. S., Harley, A. E., & Prior, M. R. (2004). Building preschool children's emotional competence: A parenting program. Early Education and Development, 15(4), 423–448. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15566935eed1504_5

Type of Study: Other quasi-experimental
Number of Participants: 43 caregivers and 47 children

Population:

• Age — Children: 48–71 months; Caregivers: Mean=35 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Children: 24 Female and 23 Male; Caregivers: 43 Female and 7 Male
• Status — Participants were parents of 4–5 year-old children recruited from three locations across the Melbourne Metropolitan region in lower to middle class areas.

Location/Institution: Melbourne, Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate a six-session parenting program [now called Tuning in to Kids (TIK)] that was delivered in preschool centers to parents with a four- or five-year old child. Measures utilized include the Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES), the Child Rearing Questionnaire (CRQ), Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, Abbreviated Dyadic Adjustment Scale (ADAS), the General Health Questionnaire - 28 (GHQ), the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC), the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory 6 (ECBI), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results indicate that parents reported that they were more encouraging of their children’s emotional expression, used emotion-focused approaches more frequently in interactions with their children, and were less critical and dismissive of their children’s emotional expression. Their children showed less emotional negativity and had significant reductions in difficult behaviors, especially those who had behavior problems prior to their parents’ participation in the program. Limitations include lack of a control group, length of follow-up, and small sample size.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 3 months.

Havighurst, S. S., Wilson, K. R., Harley, A. E., & Prior, M. R. (2009). Tuning in to Kids: An emotion-focused parenting program - initial findings from a community trial. Journal of Community Psychology, 37(8), 1008–1023. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20345 

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 218

Population:

• Age — Mean=36 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — 209 Female and 9 Male
• Status — Participants were parents from preschools (n=61) in culturally and linguistically diverse lower- to middle-class socioeconomic regions.

Location/Institution: Melbourne, Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate a group parenting program, Tuning in to Kids (TIK), which teaches emotion coaching skills to parents of preschool children. Preschools were randomized into intervention and waitlist control conditions. Measures utilized include Maternal Emotional Style Questionnaire (MESQ), Parent Emotional Style Questionnaire (PESQ), Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS), General Health Questionnaire–28 (GHQ), and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory 6 (ECBI). Results indicate that parents in the TIK schools reported significant increases in emotion coaching and significant reductions in emotion dismissing with their children. Child behavior was also reported to improve. Of those with clinical levels of behavior difficulties, more than half were no longer at clinical level post program. Limitations include concerns about participant biases due to reliance on parent reports of change, and lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Havighurst, S. S., Wilson, K. R., Harley, A. E., Prior, M. R., & Kehoe, C. (2010). Tuning in to Kids: Improving emotion socialization practices in parents of preschool children – findings from a community trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(12), 1342–1350. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02303.x

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 216

Population:

• Age — Mean=36 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Not specified
• Status — Participants were parents from preschools (n=61) in culturally and linguistically diverse lower- to middle-class socioeconomic regions.

Location/Institution: Melbourne, Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Havighurst et al. (2009). The purpose of the study was to evaluate an effectiveness trial of the Tuning in to Kids (TIK) parenting program. Preschools were randomized into intervention and waitlist control conditions. Measures utilized include the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS), the Maternal Emotional Style Questionnaire (MESQ), Parent Emotional Style Questionnaire (PESQ), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test – Third Edition (PPVT-III), the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory 6 (ECBI), and the teacher report on the Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory. An observation of parenting on a parent-child story telling task and an assessment of the child’s emotion knowledge were also used. Results indicate that parents in the TIK condition reported significant improvements in their own emotion awareness and regulation, increases in emotion coaching, and decreases in emotionally dismissive beliefs and behaviors. There were increases in parents’ observed use of emotion labels and discussion of causes and consequences of emotions with their children. Child emotional knowledge improved and reductions in child behavior problems were reported by parents and teachers. Six months after the program, parents in the TIK condition showed improvements on targeted aspects of parenting, and their children had better emotional knowledge and fewer behavior problems. Limitations include the self-report nature of the emotion coaching measures, and possible expectancy bias on the parent report measures.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 months.

Wilson, K. R., Havighurst, S. S., & Harley, A. E. (2012). Tuning in to Kids: An effectiveness trial of a parenting program targeting emotion socialization of preschoolers. Journal of Family Psychology, 26(1), 56–65. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026480

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: Parents: 128

Population:

• Age — Children: 4.0–5.11 years; Parents: Approximately 36 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Children: 52% Male; Parents: 118 Female and 10 Male
• Status — Participants were parents of 4–5 year-old children attending preschools in the targeted area.

Location/Institution: Knox, Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to report on an effectiveness trial of the Tuning in to Kids (TIK) parenting program to improve emotion socialization practices in parents of preschool children. Participants were randomly assigned to TIK or a wait list control group. Measures utilized include the Maternal Emotional Style Questionnaire (MESQ), Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES), the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation, and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory 6 (ECBI). Results indicate that at follow-up, compared to the control group, TIK parents were significantly less emotionally dismissive in their beliefs, less dismissive and more coaching in their practices in response to children’s negative emotions, and more positively involved. Although there were improvements in both conditions over time for parent-reported child behavior and teacher-reported social competence, compared to the waitlist group, TIK parents reported a significantly greater reduction in number of behavior problems. Limitations include possible expectancy bias on the self-report measures, lack of assessment immediately post-intervention, small sample size, and lack of generalizability to lower socioeconomic status or more culturally diverse populations.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 7-months after baseline (unclear how long after the end of the intervention).

Havighurst, S. S., Wilson, K. R., Harley, A. E., Kehoe, C., Efron, D & Prior, M. R. (2013). Tuning in to Kids: Reducing young children's behavior problems using an emotion coaching parenting program. Child Psychiatry & Human Development,44(2), 247–264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0322-1

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: Children: 54; Caregivers: Not specified

Population:

• Age — Children: 4.0–5.11 years; Caregivers: Mean=35 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Children: 78% Male; Caregivers: 100% Female
• Status — Participants were parents of 4- and 5-year old children who presented with externalizing behavior difficulties to a child behavior clinic.

Location/Institution: Behavior Clinic of the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), and the Western Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne, Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate a 6-session group parenting program, Tuning into Kids (TIK), as treatment for young children (aged 4.0–5.11 years) with behavior problems. Participants were randomized into intervention (TIK) or waitlist (clinical treatment as usual). Measures utilized include Maternal Emotional Style Questionnaire (MESQ), Parent Emotional Style Questionnaire (PESQ), Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Third Edition (PPVT III), Emotion Skills Task, the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory 6 (ECBI), and the Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory. Results indicate that parents in both conditions reported less emotional dismissiveness and reduced child behavior problems. In the TIK group, parents reported greater empathy and had improved observed emotion coaching skills; their children had greater emotion knowledge and reduced teacher-reported behavior problems. Limitations include small sample size, missing data, and treatment as usual was not regulated.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 months.

Havighurst, S. S., Duncombe, M. E., Frankling, E. J., Holland, K. A., Kehoe, C. E., & Stargatt, R. (2015). An emotion-focused early intervention for children with emerging conduct problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43(4), 749–760. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-014-9944-z

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: Children: 204; Caregivers: 204

Population:

• Age — Children: 5–8 years; Caregivers: Not specified
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Children: 74% Male; Caregivers: 94% Female, and 6% Male
• Status — Participants were parents of children who presented with emerging conduct problems.

Location/Institution: Victoria, Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Tuning in to Kids (TIK), as a treatment for children with emerging conduct problems. Schools in lower socioeconomic areas were randomized into intervention or wait-list control. Measures utilized include the Conduct Problems Risk Screen (CPRS), Maternal Emotional Style Questionnaire (MESQ), Self-Expressiveness in the Family Questionnaire, Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory 6 (ECBI), Kusche Affective Inventory – Revised (KAI-R), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the Social Competence Rating Scale (SCRC). Results indicate that intervention parents but not control parents, became less emotionally dismissive and increased in empathy, and children showed better emotion understanding and behavior compared to control children. Limitations include lack of generalizability to other ethnic populations, high attrition rate, and reliability on self-reported measures.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 10 months.

Duncombe, M. E., Havighurst, S. S., Kehoe, C. E., Holland, K. A., Frankling, E. J., & Stargatt, R. (2016). Comparing an emotion-and a behavior-focused parenting program as part of a multisystemic intervention for child conduct problems. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 45(3), 320–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2014.963855

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 320

Population:

• Age — Children: 4–9 years; Parents: Not specified
• Race/Ethnicity — Families: 92% Caucasian, 5% Other, 2% Asian, and 2% Middle Eastern
• Gender — Children: 74% Male; Parents: 93% Female
• Status — Participants were parents of children who presented with emerging conduct problems.

Location/Institution: Northern Melbourne and Bendigo, Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Tuning in to Kids (TIK), as a treatment for children with emerging conduct problems. Participants were randomized into one of three conditions: TIK, Level 4 Triple P, and waitlist control. Measures utilized include the Conduct Problems Risk Screen (CPRS), Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Home Interview With Child (HIWC). Results indicate that TIK was effective compared to a control group and that, TIK and Level 4 Triple P, produced similar change across three different outcome measures (including parent report, teacher report, and child assessment), and were equally effective in reducing child conduct problems. Limitations include results may have limited generalizability due to ethnicity, high attrition rate, and reliability on self-reported measures.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 months.

Edrissi, F., Havighurst, S. S., Aghebati, A., Habibi, M., & Arani, A. M. (2019). A pilot study of the Tuning in to Kids parenting program in Iran for reducing preschool children's anxiety. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(6), 1695–1702. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01400-0

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 56

Population:

• Age — Not specified
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — 100% Female
• Status — Participants were mothers of preschool children (4–6 years) attending Kindergartens and Neighborhood Houses.

Location/Institution: Tehran, Iran

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of Tuning in to Kids (TIK) when used with parents of anxious preschool children. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Measures utilized include the Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS). Results indicate that there was a significant difference between participants in the two conditions on parent-reported anxiety at post-test and 6-month follow-up. Clinical significance analyses showed the intervention group in comparison to the control group had parent-reported change into the normal range for anxiety scores. These changes remained stable at 6-month follow-up. Limitations include lack of generalizability to other ethnic populations, reliability on self-reported measures, and length of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 months.

The following studies were not included in rating TIK on the Scientific Rating Scale...

Chan, R. F.-Y., Qiu, C., & Shum, K. K. (2021). Tuning in to kids: A randomized controlled trial of an emotion coaching parenting program for Chinese parents in Hong Kong. Developmental Psychology, 57(11), 1796–1809. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001258

Note: Since this study is an adaptation of Tuning in to Kids, it was not used in the rating/review process. The purpose of the study was to examine the intervention effects of Tuning in to Kids (TIK) on Chinese parents of low to middle socioeconomic status in Hong Kong. Participants were randomly assigned to TIK or a waitlist control group. Measures utilized include a questionnaire on school activities, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, the Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale, the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, and the Emotion Regulation Checklist. Results indicate that the TIK group reported significant reductions in punitive parenting and parenting stress at Time 2, and these effects were maintained at Time 3. Delayed improvements in parents’ use of expressive encouragement and children’s emotion lability/negativity were observed at Time 3 in the experimental group. The immediate intervention effects were replicated in the waitlist control group at Time 3 after they attended the training. Limitations include reliance on self-reported measures, lack of generalizability due to sample population, and length of follow-up.