Can a Parenting Intervention Strengthen Parental Self-Efficacy in Refugee Parents of Adolescents? A Single-Case Experimental Design

Abstract

The present study investigated whether a tailored parenting intervention is able to strengthen parental self-efficacy (PSE) in a sample of refugee parents of adolescents. PSE is linked to many positive child-parent outcomes and since it is malleable, it can be strengthened through interventions. While PSE is generally lower in refugee parents and parents of adolescents, research about parenting interventions for refugee parents of adolescents is scarce. The sample consisted of three refugee mothers who fled war in Syria. Using an experience sampling method, they reported on their PSE up to 10 times a day over a course of 15 days. The participants had individual baseline periods, after which the intervention took place. Data was analyzed using interrupted time series analysis. Results show that the participants reported a significant increase in PSE from the baseline to intervention period. These findings suggest that a tailored parenting intervention is able to strengthen PSE in refugee parents of adolescents. Future studies should analyze whether this strengthened PSE translates into actual parenting behavior.