The impact of the parenting for respectability programme on violent parenting and intimate partner relationships in Uganda: a pre-post study

Siu G, Nsubuga RN, Lachman J, Namutebi C, Sekiwunga R, Zalwango F, Riddel J, Wight D

Background

There is a growing need for interventions that reduce both violence against children and intimate partner violence in low- and middle-income countries. However, few parenting interventions deliberately address this link. We tested the feasibility of a 16-session group-based parenting programme, Parenting for Respectability, in semi-rural Ugandan communities.

Methods

This was a pre-post study with parents and their children (N = 484 parents; 212 children).

Results

Pre-post comparisons found large effects for parent-reported reduced harsh parenting (Cohen’s f2 = 0.41 overall; f2 = 0.47 (among session attendees); with an overall reduction of 26% for harsh parenting. Session attendees reported higher reductions than non-attendees (p = 0.014), and male caregivers reported higher reductions than female caregivers (p