Parenting Wisely

Parenting Wisely (PW) is a self-administered, computer-based program that teaches parents and their children important skills to enhance relationships and decrease conflict through behavior management and support. The program is designed to enhance child adjustment and has the potential to reduce delinquency, substance abuse, and involvement with the juvenile justice system. In addition, it seeks to improve problem-solving, parent–school communication, school attendance, and grades while reducing disciplinary infractions.

The program uses an interactive CD–ROM, USB drive, or online in which parents view video scenes of common family problems. The program instructs parents in effective parenting skills through the use of demonstration, quizzing, repetition, rehearsal, recognition, and feedback for correct and incorrect answers. The video program uses behavior modeling training to cover communication skills, problem-solving skills, speaking respectfully, assertive discipline, reinforcement, chore compliance, homework compliance, supervision of children hanging out with peers who are a bad influence, stepfamily problems, single-parent issues, and finding drugs. The program is administered in one to three sessions in 3 to 6 hours, depending on the amount of discussion in which users engage. Parents using the program also receive a workbook for future reference that outlines all problems and solutions included in the program.

Approximately 320,000 people have participated in Parenting Wisely. The program has been implemented in the United States, as well as in Australia, Canada, China, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

The goal of this program is to reduce child behavior problems and delinquency and substance abuse among adolescents, to improve parenting knowledge and skills, and to strengthen the relationship between adolescent and parent.

Findings from studies show an association between Parenting Wisely participation and improvements in family problem solving, family roles, family involvement, parenting self-efficacy, parenting sense of competence, and decreased adolescent violent behavior.

Numerous studies were conducted to assess the effectiveness of PW, using a variety of different methods, including random assignment. In one study, parents were randomly assigned to an intervention group receiving Parenting Wisely or to a usual care control group. Children of Parenting Wisely participants showed significant improvement on the ECBI total problems score (p < .001) compared with children of control group parents. These children also showed a significant decrease in negative behaviors as measured by the Parent Daily Report compared with children of parents in the control group (p < .001). Effect sizes were large.

In another study, pregnant and parenting teens were randomly assigned to an intervention group receiving Parenting Wisely or to a no-treatment control group. Parenting Wisely participants showed significant increases in parenting knowledge (p < .001) relative to the control group. They also showed improvement in their beliefs in the efficacy of adaptive over coercive parenting practices for their toddlers relative to the control group (p < .01). In another study, in Australia, parents showed large effect sizes in their parenting self-efficiency and satisfaction, and in decreases in their children's problems behavior.
In another study in a rural, low income area, parents received the program in a brief workshop format, in a five session group discussion, or online.