Adolescent mothers: Were there any gains in a parent education program?

Evaluated is a parent education program for the primary prevention of child abuse offered at DePelchin Children's Center, a multiservice agency for high-risk teen mothers in Houston, Tex. The program consisted of a 7-hour day, 3 days per week, for 8 weeks by 9 groups of 8-10 adolescent mothers & their children (total N = 73 clients). Four pre, post, & follow-up questionnaires were administered, & revealed that program completers who had attended at least 14-16 sessions showed significant gains in parenting knowledge, while noncompleters did not. However, the Self-Image Questionnaire showed that gains for completers from pre- to postevaluation were not maintained at follow-up. It is concluded that teen mothers who complete a parenting program evince positive changes in concrete skill acquisition, but abstract internal resource building & cognitive skill development are not affected. Several methodological issues are discussed, & further research is called for on ways to reduce program dropout. 2 Tables, 20 References. Modified AA