How We Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect:

The stories about child abuse that we read in the news are horrendous and often refer to a pattern of abuse continuing from one generation to the next.  It’s easy to conclude from these stories that some people just should never have children and if they do there is little we can do to prevent child abuse from occurring.

"I always thought I wouldn't make the same mistakes my parents did, but when you come from an abusive background, you spend all your time repeating them.  I felt like a pressure cooker, with no place to let the steam out.  But then Parents Helping Parents became a safety valve."  - Parent Support Group Member

We at Parents Helping Parents believe that child abuse is preventable because typically child abuse grows gradually as a result of increasing stresses on the parent.  Parents universally love their children but they may have poor parental role models from their childhood.  In order to support parents whose abuse or neglect might escalate, we concentrate on enhancing several “protective factors” that are associated with safe homes for children. (See http://www.childwelfare.gov/can/factors/protective.cfm ).

If we can strengthen these protective factors, parents are more likely to find other ways of dealing with their children than hurting them.  Our data shows that even a short call to the Parental Stress Line can enhance the caller’s protective factors and that attending an ongoing Parent Support Group can increase protective factors significantly. 

Our programs target all five protective factors identified by researchers.  In this summary, we will focus on three of them:  

1. Strengthening Parental Resilience;
2. Reducing Social Isolation; and
3. Enhancing Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development

Parental Resilience:

One of the primary factors contributing to Parental Resilience is the parent’s ability to talk about his or her anger and what causes it.  In our anonymous survey of Parent Support Group members in 2007, we asked parents a number of questions related to Parental Resilience, including one that asked them to assess their ability to talk about what makes them angry.  After attending Parent Support Groups, this protective measure increased by 31%.

Parental Stress Line Counselors provide callers with information on child development and child discipline when needed.  Sometimes callers indicate that they would like to improve on several factors contributing to Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development: Showing consistent, mild child discipline techniques, communicating clear and specific expectations, having a better understanding of a child’s behavior based on the information provided by the Telephone Counselor, and having a more balanced perspective on his or her situation.

Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development:

Parents who have realistic developmental expectations of their children are more likely to abstain from child abuse and neglect.  When parents gain an understanding of their child’s development, they can respond to difficult situations with their children in more appropriate and effective ways.  That is why Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development is associated with prevention of child abuse.  After attending Parent Support Groups, parents are 30% more likely to try different parenting techniques when faced with difficult situations with their children.

Parental Stress Line Counselors provide callers with information on child development and child discipline when needed.  Sometimes callers indicate that they would like to improve on several factors contributing to Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development: Showing consistent, mild child discipline techniques, communicating clear and specific expectations, having a better understanding of a child’s behavior based on the information provided by the Telephone Counselor, and having a more balanced perspective on his or her situation.

Social Connection:

Researchers agree that isolation is one of the key predictive factors of child abuse and neglect.  Parent Support Groups offer an ongoing social connection to other parents.  Trust and a sense of safety are vital to ensuring healthy social connections.  In our anonymous survey of parents in 2007, we asked parents whether they felt safe in group and trusted other members.  81% answered “Yes, most or all of the time”. 

The Parental Stress Line offers a 24-hour listening ear to parents who may feel that they have no one else to talk to.  After just a short call to the Parental Stress Line, 22.5% of callers identify that they will reach out to positive supports when needed.  Counselors often assist callers in developing support networks and encourage them to call again if they need to talk.  18% of callers are able to identify another resource for support.

Overall Effectiveness:

By promoting protective factors to prevent child abuse, our programs help parents to prevent child abuse and break cycles of abuse that may be occurring.  39% of parents who attend Parent Support Groups report that at one time they have emotionally, physically, sexually or verbally abused their children.  8% report that at one time they have physically or emotionally neglected their children.  After attending a Parent Support Group, 96% of those parents report that they have better control over the abusive situation and 74% report that their situation is completely under control (See graph below).