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 [now called 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12] 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: None.

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

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 92

Population:

• Age — Parents: 29–52 years; Children: 2–12 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Parents: 84% Female; Children: 59% 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 investigate whether both the 1-2-3 Magic Effective Discipline for Children 2–12 parenting program and the 1-2-3 Magic & Emotion Coaching parenting program would be effective in reducing dysfunctional parenting and child problem behaviors, particularly when delivered to large groups of caregivers with children spanning the program-recommended age range of 2–12. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three groups: (1) the DVD group, based on 1-2-3-Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12; (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 DVD, 1-2-3-Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12 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 post-intervention. The results were maintained after three months. After two years, all intervention effects were maintained for the DVD, 1-2-3-Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12 group. For the EC group, effects were maintained on the main outcome variables. The results suggest that both 1-2-3 Magic programs are effective at reducing child problem behavior and dysfunctional parenting when delivered to large groups of caregivers, and that both programs are suitable for a broad delivery approach. 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.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

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

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 84

Population:

• Age — Parents: 32–47 years; Children: 2–10 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not Specified
• Gender — Parents: 89% Female; Children: 50% Male
• Status — Participants were volunteers recruited through community ads, childcare centers, and primary schools.

Location/Institution: Not Specified

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a self-directed video-based format of the 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12 parenting program in reducing dysfunctional parenting and child problem behaviors. Participants were randomly assigned to either 1-2-3-Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12 or the waitlist control group. 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 that participants in the 1-2-3-Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12 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.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

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 [now called 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12], 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), 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: None.

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

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a three-session version of 1-2-3 Magic [now called 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12] 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 a 1-2-3 Magic 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 that 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 lack of follow-up. Note: This article was not used in the rating process since it reports on an adaptation of 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12.

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

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a two-session version of 1-2-3 Magic [now known as 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12] on child and parent behavior for families with school-aged children. Participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups: immediate training of 1-2-3 Magic, or a control group. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Parent Information Questionnaire (PIQ), and the Parenting Scale (PS). Results indicate that only families who had received training reported significant improvement in child and parenting behavior. Limitations include the small sample size, reliability of self-reported measures, and data from the 12-month follow-up assessment does not include any control data. Note: This article was not used in the rating process since it reports on an adaptation of 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12.