ParentChild+ reduces parent stress: Initial outcomes of a randomized controlled trial of an early home visiting program

Families living below the poverty line face systemic barriers that can increase stress exposure and reduce children’s access to formal learning opportunities. One promising program for reducing stress and enhancing cognitive enrichment is ParentChild+, a twice-weekly, 46-week strengths-based home-visiting intervention. ParentChild+ works with under-resourced families with children ages 18 months to 3 years, to introduce new books and toys and partner with caregivers to support early learning. Here, we provide a rigorous test of the efficacy of ParentChild+ relative to a stringent control. Families (n = 197) were randomly assigned to either ParentChild+ or an active control intervention focusing on family nutrition. Caregivers completed questionnaires at baseline and post-intervention assessing perceived stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms, parenting behaviors, and child outcomes; service uptake was assessed at follow-up. ParentChild+ significantly reduced parent stress (group x time interaction: b = -2.03, p = .036). We did not detect between-group differences in caregiver-reported parenting behaviors or child outcomes at post-intervention. Families in the ParentChild+ reported significantly greater uptake of services for developmental delay and disability since beginning the intervention (chi-sq = 3.92, p = .048). Our findings highlight that a community-delivered, strength-based intervention can alleviate parental stress and increase access to resources to support children’s development. Future research will determine whether changes in parent stress or their ability to access services will ultimately have longer-term benefits for children and parents.