Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP)

About This Program

Target Population: Parents of children - birth through adolescence

For parents/caregivers of children ages: 0 – 17

Program Overview

STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) is a multicomponent parenting education curriculum. The three STEP programs help parents learn effective ways to relate to their children from birth through adolescence by using parent education study groups. By identifying the purposes of children's behavior, STEP also helps parents learn how to encourage cooperative behavior in their children and how not to reinforce unacceptable behaviors. STEP also helps parents change dysfunctional and destructive relationships with their children by offering concrete alternatives to abusive and ineffective methods of discipline and control. STEP is offered in three separate programs covering early childhood, children ages seven through twelve, and teenagers. Each program contains a leader's resource guide, promotional tools, videos and parent handbooks.

Program Goals

The goals of STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) are:

  • Increased ability to identify goals of misbehavior
  • Increased alternatives to misbehaviors
  • Increased encouragement skills
  • Increased skill in communication
  • Increased skill in cooperation (parental and child)
  • Increased skill in discipline
  • Increased skill in choosing parenting approach
  • Increase child self-esteem and confidence
  • Decreased inappropriate parental behaviors in disciplining children and teens

Logic Model

The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP).

Essential Components

The essential components of STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) include:

  • STEP is intended for parent education study groups.
    • Parents share their concerns and learn that their problems are not unique.
    • Parents become aware that their own reactions and attitudes may have unintentionally influenced their children's unacceptable behaviors
  • STEP provides clear Course Objectives.
    • Parents gain an understanding of developmental sequences and their child's accomplishments.
    • Parents learn how children's belief systems are formed.
    • Parents learn to identify the four goals of misbehavior and how to foster positive results:
      • Attention
      • Power
      • Revenge
      • Inadequacy
    • Parents discover ways to build children's self-esteem through the process of encouragement
    • Parents develop an effective discipline system based on both firmness and kindness
    • Parents learn to deal with emotional problems and promote positive emotional growth

Program Delivery

Parent/Caregiver Services

Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

  • Dysfunctional and destructive relationships with children; abusive and ineffective methods of discipline and control.

Recommended Intensity:

Weekly sessions, 60-90 minutes each

Recommended Duration:

7 weeks

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

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

Homework

Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) includes a homework component:

Parents are directed to read a chapter each week from a short parent handbook. Activities each week include observations of their child's behavior and implementation of skills learned each week in the parenting group. Parents are asked to provide brief oral reports each week sharing their results.

Languages

Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) has materials available in a language other than English:

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 at the bottom of this page).

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

None specified

Manuals and Training

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

Trained in counseling, psychology, social work, the ministry, pediatrics, education, nursing, psychiatry, or similar areas. Ability to lead groups.

Manual Information

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

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact:
Training Type/Location:

On-site, regional

Number of days/hours:

One day for six contact hours

Implementation Information

Pre-Implementation Materials

There are no pre-implementation materials to measure organizational or provider readiness for Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP).

Formal Support for Implementation

There is formal support available for implementation of Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) as listed below:

A consultant is provided to assist with questions regarding implementation issues.

Fidelity Measures

There are fidelity measures for Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) as listed below:

Fidelity assessment includes a measurement tool for group settings. It is available through STEP Publishers, 800-720-1286 or steppublishers@gmail.com

Implementation Guides or Manuals

There are no implementation guides or manuals for Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP).

Research on How to Implement the Program

Research has not been conducted on how to implement Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP).

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being

Hammett, V. L., Omizo, M. M., & Loffredo, D. A. (1981). The effects of participation in a STEP program on parents' child-rearing attitudes and the self-concepts of their learning disabled children. The Exceptional Child, 28(3), 183–190. https://doi.org/10.1080/0156655810280305

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 50 mother-child pairs

Population:

  • Age — Mothers: Not specified; Children: 5-8 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Predominantly White
  • Gender — Mothers: 50 Female; Children: 39 Male and 11 Female
  • Status — Participants were mothers of children classified as learning disabled by educational guidelines.

Location/Institution: Texas

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
This study examined the efficacy of the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program on parent's child-rearing attitudes for learning disabled children. Participants were randomly assigned to STEP treatment or to the control group. Both groups were tested two weeks prior to the treatment and two weeks after the treatment. Measures included the Parent Attitude Survey (PAS) and the Primary Self Concept Inventory (PSCI). Parents in the treatment group improved their PAS scores, particularly in the areas of Acceptance and Trust. Children's PSCI scores also showed improvements in the areas of Personal Self and Social Self. The authors note that examination of programs variables is needed to determined reasons for lack of effects on other subscales. Limitations include small sample size and length of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 2 weeks.

Nystul, M. S. (1982). The effects of Systematic Training for Effective Parenting on parental attitudes. The Journal of Psychology, 112(1), 63–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1982.9923535

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 42

Population:

  • Age — 23–50 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — 100% Caucasian
  • Gender — 100% Female
  • Status — Participants were mothers who applied for STEP training based on media advertisements.

Location/Institution: Brisbane, Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program on parental attitudes. Mothers were randomly assigned to receive the STEP program, or to a wait-list control group. Measures utilized include the Attitude Toward the Freedom of Children Scale II (ATFC-II) and the Parent Attitude Research Instrument Q4 (PARI Q4). Results indicate that mothers in the treatment group were found to be more democratic in their child-rearing attitudes after training. They also differed from control mothers on the Encouraging Verbalization and showed a decrease on the Strictness subscales of the PARI Q4. Limitations include small sample size, lack of diversity and self-selection into the study by mothers, and lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Williams, R. E., Omizo, M. M., & Abrams, B. C. (1984). Effects of STEP on parental attitudes and locus of control of their learning disabled children. The School Counselor, 32(2), 126–133. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ311123

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 38 parent–child pairs

Population:

  • Age — Parents: Not specified; Children: 9-12 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Parents: 100% White; Children: Not specified
  • Gender — Parents: 32 Female and 6 Male; Children: 28 Male and 10 Female
  • Status — Participants were volunteers with learning disable children recruited from a middle-to-upper-class suburban neighborhood.

Location/Institution: Los Angeles

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program on parental attitudes. Participants were randomly assigned to the STEP treatment or control condition. Measures utilized include the Parent Attitude Survey (PAS) and the Locus of Control Inventory for Three Achievement Domains (LOCITAD). Results indicate that children in the treatment condition showed improvement relative to controls in all three domains. Parents PAS scores also improved on Trust, Acceptance, and Caution. Limitations include lack of diversity in the sample, self-selection into the study, and length of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 1 week.

Noller, P., & Taylor, R. (1989). Parent education and family relations. Family Relations, 38(2), 196–200. https://doi.org/10.2307/583675

Type of Study: Pretest–posttest study with a nonequivalent control group (Quasi-experimental)
Number of Participants: 62

Population:

  • Age — Female: 25-46 years; Male: 26-51 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — Not specified
  • Status — Participants were parents who had already enrolled in one of two parent education programs (STEP or Parent Effectiveness Training).

Location/Institution: Australia

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program on family relations. Participants were enrolled in either the STEP program or a Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.) program. Measures utilized include the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the Parents Rating of Program Effectiveness, and the Areas of Change in Parenting Scale. Results indicate that the two programs were seen as equally effective. Limitations include lack of direct measures of change in parenting or in children’s behaviors, lack of randomization, and length of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 8 weeks.

Jonyniene , J., Kern, R. M., & Gfroerer, K. P. (2015). Efficacy of Lithuanian Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) on parenting style and perception of child behavior. The Family Journal, 23(4), 392–406. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480715574473

Type of Study: Pretest-posttest study with a nonequivalent control group (Quasi-experimental)
Number of Participants: 647

Population:

  • Age — Parents: Average=36-37 years; Children: Average=8-9 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Parents: 94% Lithuanian and 6% Other; Children: Not specified
  • Gender — Parents: 88% Female and 12% Male; Children: 59% Male and 41% Female
  • Status — Participants were parents who volunteered to participate in the STEP program.

Location/Institution: Lithuania

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the short- and long-term efficacy of the Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) program on parents from Lithuania. Participants were assigned to either the STEP group (intervention) or the comparison group. Measures utilized include the Lithuanian STEP Parent Survey Form, the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire–Short Form (PSDQ-Short Form), and the Adlerian Parental Assessment of Child’s Behavior Scale (APACBS).  Results indicate that parents of both genders demonstrated an increase in knowledge on parenting related to child’s misbehavior, encouragement, discipline, logical consequences, and so forth. Mothers decreased the use of authoritarian and permissive parenting styles and perceived the targeted child’s behavior as less emotionally charging with a decrease in peer-related problematic behavior. Limitations include lack of randomization, lack of generalizability due to gender, and length of follow-up. 

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 3-4 months.

Ceballos, P. L., Lin, Y. W., Bratton, S. C., & Lindo, N. (2019). Effects of parenting programs on Latina mothers’ parental stress and their children’s internalizing behavioral problems. Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling, 5(1), 73–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/23727810.2018.1556983

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 21

Population:

  • Age — Children: 3-8 years; Mothers: 20-45 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Children: Not specified; Mothers: 100% Latina
  • Gender — Children: 12 Male and 8 Female; Mothers: 100% Female
  • Status — Participants were low-income, immigrant Latina mothers reporting high levels of parental stress and child internalizing problems.

Location/Institution: Southeast region of the United States

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the comparative effects of two empirically supported, manualized parenting programs, Child–Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) and Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP). Participants were randomly assigned to either CPRT or STEP. Measures utilized include the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Results indicate that compared to STEP, CPRT demonstrated a medium to large treatment effect on children’s internalizing problems, although between group differences were not statistically significant. Results for parental stress indicated no statistically or practically significant between-group differences. Within-group treatment effects revealed larger effects for the CPRT group for internalizing behavior problems and parental stress. Clinical significance of the findings indicated greater improvement for children and mothers in the CPRT group. Limitations include attrition rates differed greatly between CPRT and STEP, small sample size, lack of a control group, and lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Steele, H., Murphy, A., Bonuck, K., Meissner, P., & Steele, M. (2019). Randomized control trial report on the effectiveness of Group Attachment-Based Intervention (GABI©): Improvements in the parent–child relationship not seen in the control group. Development and Psychopathology, 31(1), 203–217. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579418001621

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 78

Population:

  • Age — Children: Less than 3 years; Mothers: Not specified
  • Race/Ethnicity — Children: Not specified; Mothers: GABI: 47% Hispanic, 28% Black, 23% Biracial, and 2% White; STEP: 40% Hispanic, 37% Black, 17% Biracial, and 5% White
  • Gender — Children: Not specified; Mothers: 100% Female
  • Status — Participants were mothers at risk of maltreating their children.

Location/Institution: The Bronx, New York

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to report on a trial involving children less than 3 years old and their mothers who were regarded at risk of maltreating their children by referral agencies. Mothers were randomly assigned to either Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP) or the Group Attachment-Based Intervention (GABI). Measures utilized include the Coding Interactive Behavior (CIB) system, and the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Results indicate that in comparison to STEP, GABI was linked to significant improvements in maternal supportive presence and dyadic reciprocity, and significant declines in maternal hostility and dyadic constriction (proxies for risk of child maltreatment). These medium-to large-sized effects remained significant even after controlling for mothers’ prior ACEs in analysis of covariance procedures. In addition, two small interaction effects of ACEs by treatment type were found. Limitations include different length (and characteristics) of treatment in the two arms, lack of follow-up, and high attrition rate.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Additional References

Brooks, L. D., Spearn, R. C., Rice, M., Crocco, D., Hodgins, C., & Schaaf, V. (1988). Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP): An evaluation study with a Canadian population. Canada's Mental Health, 36, 2–5. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1989-26876-001

McInnis-Dittrich, K. (1996). Violence prevention: An ecological adaptation of Systematic Training for Effective Parenting. Families in Society, 77(1), 412–422. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.941

Snow, J. N., Kern, R. M., & Penick, J. (1997). The effects of STEP on patient progress in an adolescent day hospital. Individual Psychology, 53(4), 388–395. https://www.proquest.com/openview/69066e18686150a24877454284b1cdfb/

Contact Information

Stephanie Dinkmeyer
Agency/Affiliation: STEP Publishers, LLC
Website: www.steppublishers.com
Email:
Phone: (800) 720-1286

Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: October 2021

Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: July 2019

Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: March 2006