Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition

Families with children at risk for or with behavior problems, substance abuse problems, or delinquency

For children/adolescents ages: 11 - 18

For parents/caregivers of children ages: 11 - 18

Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition is a self-administered, highly interactive computer-based program that teaches parents and children, ages 11-18, skills to improve their relationships and decrease conflict through support and behavior management. The program utilizes a DVD for group administration or an interactive online program for individual administration with ten video scenarios depicting common challenges with adolescents. Parents are provided the choice of three solutions to these challenges and are able to view the scenarios enacted, while receiving feedback about each choice. Parents are quizzed periodically throughout the program and receive feedback. The program operates as a supportive tutor pointing out typical errors parents make and highlighting new skills that will help them resolve problems. Computer experience or literacy is not required. Parents and children can use the program together as a family intervention. The Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition program uses a risk-focused approach designed to reduce family conflict and child behavior problems and improve the quality of parent-child relationships. Note: There is a Young Child version of the program for parents of 3- to 10-year-old children that has not been reviewed or rated by the CEBC.

Don Gordon, PhD, CEO

• Title: Professor Emeritus
• Agency/Affiliation: Ohio University and Family Works, Inc.
• Website: http://www.familyworksinc.com/
• Email: gordon@ohio.edu
• Phone: (541) 778-6106

The goals of Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition are:

• Reduction in child problem behavior
• Improvement in family relationships
• Decrease in teen and maternal depression
• Reduction in preteen and teen drug and alcohol abuse
• Reduction in preteen and teen violent behavior
• Improvements in parenting self-efficacy and parenting satisfaction
• Improvements in parenting knowledge
• Reduction in use of physical punishment
• Improvement in frequency of family activities and meetings
• Reduction in juvenile recidivism

The essential components of Parenting Wisely include:

• Parenting Wisely is a versatile program and can be used in a variety of locations.
• The online training program can be completed in one to four sessions. Repeated use of programs by parents and adolescents can increase effectiveness.
• The program covers topics such as:
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Increasing parental supervision and discipline of their child
• Effective discipline
• Speaking respectfully
• Chore compliance
• Peer pressure
• Step-parenting issues
• Mindful parenting
• Information on brain science

Child/Adolescent Services

Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition directly provides services to children and addresses the following:

• Conduct disorder, oppositional-defiant disorder, hyperactivity, peer problems, substance abuse, and depression.

Parent/Caregiver Services

Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

• Child behavior problems (acting out, disruptive behavior, internalizing problems, hyperactivity, peer relationship problems), parent or child substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, parental depression.

Recommended Intensity

The program takes 3-5 hours to complete and should be viewed twice in a six-month period.

Recommended Duration

Program should be completed within a four-week period. For group administration, the program can be completed in 5-10 group sessions.

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Adoptive Home
• Birth Family Home
• Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider
• Foster / Kinship Care
• Group or Residential Care
• Hospital
• Outpatient Clinic
• School Setting (Including: Day Care, Day Treatment Programs, etc.)

Homework

Parents complete exercises in a workbook. The workbook contains skill-building exercises in communication, discipline, contracting and point systems, and support. When parents participate in the group format, homework assignments from the workbook are given.

Languages

Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition has materials available in the following languages other than English:

• Portuguese
• Spanish

For information on which materials are available in this language, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed in this page).

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

• Desktop and laptop computers, mobile devices for the online program
• Small private room
• Receptionist or practitioner to introduce family to program

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

None

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Program Manual(s)

Manual details:

• Lagges, A., Kacir, C., & Gordon, D. (n.d.). Parenting Wisely: A highly interactive parenting program. Service provider’s guide (9th ed.). https://www.familyworksinc.com/store/p48/PW_Service_Provider_Guide.html

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact

Training Type/Location:

Provided onsite, in person, or via webinar

Number of days/hours:

1-2 days, 7-14 hours

Additional Resources:

There currently are additional qualified resources for training:

• Robert Pushak
  email: bnpushak@gmail.com

Pre-Implementation Materials

Dr. Gordon can provide a pre-implementation checklist used with juvenile justice systems.

Formal Support for Implementation

Formal support provided by developer via zoom, email, or phone and includes fidelity monitoring, program effectiveness evaluation, and leadership coaching.

Fidelity Measures

Fidelity measures are included in the group curriculum available from bnpushak@gmail.com.

Established Psychometrics

There are no established psychometrics for Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition.

Fidelity Measures Required

No fidelity measures are required for Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition.

Implementation Guides or Manuals

A Service Provider's Manual is available for purchase at https://www.familyworksinc.com/store/p48/PW_Service_Provider_Guide.html

Implementation Cost

There are no studies of the costs of Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition.

Research on How to Implement the Program

Segal, D., Chen, P. Y., Gordon, D. A., Kacir, C. Y., & Gylys, J. (2003). Development and evaluation of a parenting intervention program: Integration of scientific and practical approaches. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 15, 453–468. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327590IJHC1503_09

Cotter, K. L., Bacallao, M., Smokowski P. R., & Robertson, C. I. B. (2013). Parenting interventions implementation science: How delivery format impacts the Parenting Wisely Program. Research on Social Work Practice, 23(6), 639–650. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731513490811

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being

"What is included in the Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research section?"

• Kacir, C., & Gordon, D. A. (1999). Parenting Adolescents Wisely: The effectiveness of an interactive videodisk parent training program in Appalachia. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 21(4), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1300/J019v21n04_01

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Number of participants: 38 Mothers

  Population:

  • Age — Mean=40 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — 100% Caucasian
  • Gender — 100% Female
  • Status — Participants were mothers recruited by direct mail or through public schools.

  Location/Institution: Southeastern Ohio

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of Parenting Adolescents Wisely (PAW) [now called Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition], a brief interactive laserdisc parent training program, in rural Appalachia. Participants were randomly assigned to PAW or to a control group that received no intervention. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, the Parent Behavior Questionnaire, and the Parenting Knowledge Test. Results indicate that, at the postintervention assessments, the children’s behavior measures were better for the PAW families than for the control families. No significant difference was found for the Parent Behavior Questionnaire, but PAW parents scored higher on the Parenting Knowledge Test one month after completion of the intervention. Limitations include the small sample size, reliance on self-report measures, and the use of unstandardized measures.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 1 month and between 3 and 5 months.

• O'Neill, H., & Woodward, R. (2002). Evaluation of the Parenting Wisely CD-ROM parent training programme: An Irish replication. Irish Journal of Psychology, 23(1), 62–72.

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Number of participants: 15 families

  Population:

  • Age — Not specified
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — Not specified
  • Status — Participants were parents of children 9–18 years old who were referred to a psychology service for child behavior problems.

  Location/Institution: Ireland

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of Parenting Wisely [now called Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition, a relatively new interactive CD-ROM parent-training program, in terms of reducing behavior problems in children and increasing parents’ knowledge and use of effective parenting skills. Participants were randomly assigned to early treatment or delayed treatment groups of Parenting Wisely. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Parent Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ), and the Parent Knowledge Test (PKT). Results indicate that Parenting Wisely had positive treatment effects on reported child behaviors. Scores on the PBQ showed significant improvement over baseline at both 2 and 4 weeks. Scores on the PKT showed significant improvement at two weeks. Limitations include the small sample size and lack of established psychometrics for the PBQ and PKT.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 2 and 4 weeks.

• Segal, D., Chen, P. Y., Gordon, D. A., Kacir, C. D., & Gylys, J. (2003). Development and evaluation of a parenting intervention program: Integration of scientific and practical approaches. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 15(3), 453–467. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327590IJHC1503_09

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Number of participants: 42 parents

  Population:

  • Age — Mean=42 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — 90% Female
  • Status — Participants were parents with children 11–18 years old who were recruited through community and outpatient mental health clinics.

  Location/Institution: Not specified

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of two formats of the Parenting Wisely [now called Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition] program: a noninteractive video (NV) or an interactive multimedia (IM) version. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the noninteractive video version or the interactive multimedia version of the Parenting Wisely program. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Parent Daily Report (PDR), the Daily Discipline Interview (DDI), and the Parent Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ). Results indicate that there was no significant difference in overall outcomes between the NV and IM intervention groups. Both groups showed improved scores on the ECBI, PBQ, PKT, and on parent responses to negative behaviors on the PDR. Improvements in children’s problem behaviors were clinically significant for 33% to 48% of the children whose parents used the program. Limitations include the small sample size and lack of a no-treatment control group that would help determine if the improvements were due to attention or the passage of time.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 3 weeks.

• Cefai, J., Smith, D., & Pushak, R. E. (2010). Parenting Wisely: Parent training via CD-ROM with an Australian sample. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 32, 17–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317100903539709

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Number of participants: 116

  Population:

  • Age — Adults: 24–55 years; Children: 9–15 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Families: 76 Australian, 14 Italian, and 9 Maltese
  • Gender — Adults: 92 Female and 24 Male; Children: 57 Female and 59 Male
  • Status — Participants were one parent and one child from families with children with disruptive behaviors.

  Location/Institution: Australia

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to address the effectiveness of the Parenting Wisely [now called Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition] program on improving parenting knowledge, parental sense of competence, and child behavior, as well as the impact of a group versus individual treatment format. Participants were randomly assigned to either a two-session group-based intervention, a two-session individual intervention, or to a waitlist control group. Measures utilized include the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC), the Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory (ECBI), and the Parenting Knowledge Questionnaire (PKQ). Results indicate that there was a significant increase in parental satisfaction, efficacy, and parenting knowledge and a reduction in child problem behavior for both the group and individual formats of the Parenting Wisely program. Limitations include the significant differences between the groups at baseline on the child behavior measures, indicating that the randomization process may have been flawed.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 3 months.

• Cotter, K. L., Bacallao, M., Smokowski, P. R., & Robertson, C. I. B. (2013). Parenting interventions implementation science: How delivery format impacts the Parenting Wisely program. Research on Social Work Practice, 23(6), 639–650. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731513490811

  Type of Study: Pretest–posttest study with a nonequivalent control group (Quasi-experimental)

  Number of participants: 144

  Population:

  • Age — Mean=40 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — 53% Native American, 27% African American, 10% Hispanic, 8% White, and 2% Multiracial
  • Gender — 78% Female
  • Status — Participants were parents residing in a low-income, rural county who had an adolescent between the ages of 11 and 15.

  Location/Institution: Southeastern United States

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to examine the implementation and effectiveness of Parenting Wisely [now called Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition], an internet-based parenting skills intervention, including whether parents benefit from Parenting Wisely participation and whether the delivery format influences program effectiveness. Participants were assigned to one of four formats based on their preference and availability: a parents-only intensive workshop, parents-only 5-week group, parent and adolescent 5-week group, or parent and adolescent online format. Measures utilized include the McMaster Family Assessment Device, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, the Parenting Self-efficacy Scale, the Conflict Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), the Consumer Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ), the NC-ACE Violent Behavior Checklist, and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results indicate that there is an association between Parenting Wisely participation and improvements in family problem solving, family roles, family involvement, parenting self-efficacy, parenting sense of competence, and decreased adolescent violent behavior, with program effects varying by delivery format and outcome. In general, group delivery over 5 weeks was more effective than either online delivery or delivery via a group workshop. Limitations include the nonrandom assignment of participants, possible selection bias, the lack of postintervention follow-up, and the small sample size.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

• Stalker , K. C., Rose, R. A., Bacallao, M., & Smokowski, P. R. (2018). Parenting Wisely six months later: How implementation delivery impacts program effects at follow-up. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 39(2), 129–153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-017-0495-2

  Type of Study: Pretest–posttest study with a nonequivalent control group (Quasi-experimental)

  Number of participants: 364

  Population:

  • Age — Not specified
  • Race/Ethnicity — 42% African American, 39% American Indian, 9% Hispanic, 6% White, 3% Multiracial, and 1% Other
  • Gender — 80% Female
  • Status — Participants were parents residing in a low-income, rural county who were experiencing problem behavior in their adolescent children between the ages of 11 and 15.

  Location/Institution: North Carolina

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of Parenting Wisely [now called Parenting Wisely: Teen Edition] on family functioning, parenting, and adolescent behavior six months postintervention and assess differences based on delivery format. Participants were allowed to choose one of the five formats of Parenting Wisely: a parents-only intensive workshop, parents-only 5-week group, parents and adolescents 5-week group, parent and adolescent online, and parent-only online. Measures utilized include the McMaster Family Assessment Device, the NC-ACE Violent Behavior Checklist, and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results indicate that parents who participated in Parenting Wisely reported increases in confidence in their parenting skills, decreases in conflicts with their adolescents, and decreases in adolescent externalizing and violent behavior relative to the comparison group at 6-month follow-up. Parenting Wisely effectiveness did not vary substantially by delivery format, except for the intensive workshop format, which was less effective than other formats. Limitations include the nonrandom assignment of participants, possible selection bias, concerns about generalizability due to the narrow population studied, and the reliance on parent reports of adolescent behavior.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 months.

• Kacir, C., & Gordon, D. A. (2000). Parenting Adolescents Wisely: The effectiveness of an interactive videodisk parent training program in Appalachia. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 21(4), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1300/J019v21n04_01

• Lagges, A. M., & Gordon, D. A. (1999). Use of an interactive laserdisc parent training program with teenage parents. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 21(1), 19–37. https://doi.org/10.1300/J019v21n01_02

• Segal D., Chen, P. Y., Gordon, D. A., Kacir, C. Y., & Gylys, J. (2003). Development and evaluation of a parenting intervention program: Integration of scientific and practical approaches. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 15, 453–468. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327590IJHC1503_09