PREVENTING WORKING-PARENT STRESS

PHASE I OF THIS PROJECT IS DESIGNED TO PRODUCE AND SYSTEMATICALLY EVALUATE A THREE-LEVEL MEDIA AND COMPUTER-BASED "FAMILY FACILITATION" INSTRUCTION PROGRAM FORWORKING PARENTS. THE PROGRAM WILL BE FURTHER DEVELOPED AND TESTED DURING PHASE II AND ULTIMATELY MARKETED IN THE WORKPLACE THROUGH EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE PROGRAM IS TO REDUCE STRESS BY HELPING WORKING PARENTS DEAL WITH THE CHILD-MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS THAT ARE A UNIVERSAL COMPONENT OF REARING CHILDREN. IT IS ARGUED THAT CHILD-MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS INCREASE PARENTAL STRESS AT WORK, AS WELL AS IN THE HOME. THE PROPOSED PROGRAM WILL REDUCE THAT STRESS. PROBLEM BEHAVIOR IN EARLY CHILDHOOD THAT IS NOT SUCCESSFULLY DEALT WITH HAS BEEN SHOWN TO LEAD TO A VARIETY OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN ADOLESCENCE AND ADULTHOOD. THE PROGRAM IS ADAPTED FROM TWO DECADES OF CLINICAL STUDIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF PARENT TRAINING AND PROBLEM PREVENTION STRATEGIES. AS PART OF THE PHASE I PROJECT, AN EXPERIMENT WILL BE CONDUCTED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROGRAM, THE RESULTS OF WHICH WILL LEAD TO REFINEMENTS AND EXPANSION DURING PHASE II.