A Randomized Trial of Methods to Engage Mexican American Parents Into a School-Based Parenting Intervention

Objective: This study examined the efficacy of motivational strategies for increasing engagement into evidence-based, parenting interventions delivered through schools. Method: Participants were 122 mothers of kindergarten and third grade students attending an urban school that predominantly served Mexican American families living in low-income conditions. At pretest, mothers reported sociocultural characteristics, and teachers rated children's behavior. Mothers randomly assigned to the experimental condition received a multicomponent engagement package; mothers assigned to the control condition received a brochure plus a nonengagement survey interview. All families were offered a free parenting program delivered at their child's school. Dependent variables included parenting program enrollment, initiation (i.e., attending at least 1 session), and attendance. Results: Parents in the experimental condition were more likely to initiate compared with those in the control condition if their children had high baseline concentration problems (OR = 8.98, p < .001, 95% CI [2.55, 31.57]). Parents in the experimental condition attended more sessions than did those in the control condition if their children had high baseline concentration problems (p < .01, d = .49, 95% CI [.35, 2.26]) or conduct problems (p < .01, d = .54, 95% CI [.51, 2.56]). Highly acculturated parents attended more sessions if assigned to the experimental condition than the control condition (p < .01, d = .66, 95% CI [.28, 2.57]). Conclusions: The motivational engagement package increased parenting program initiation and attendance for parents of students at-risk for behavior problems. What is the public health significance of this article? This study suggests that an engagement package increased parenting program attendance among families who could most benefit. The package could help optimize the public health impact of evidence-based parenting programs by increasing attendance.