Addressing Parental Stress and Adolescents’ Behavioral Problems through an Attachment-based Program: A Report of an Intervention Study

The primary concern of this study is to address parenting stress and adolescents’ behavioral and emotional problems through an attachment based parenting intervention (Connect parents group) for parents of adolescents, in particular to test whether this intervention led to reduced levels of parenting stress, and adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems. 44 parents (33 mothers and 11 fathers; M= 50.4, SD= 4.9) of adolescents (M= 15 years, SD= 1.4) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: An attachment based intervention group (Connect), or a wait-list control group. They were assessed before and immediately after the ten-week intervention. Outcome measures were self-reported parenting stress, and multi-informant assessments of adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems. Compared to the control group, parents completing the Connect program reported signi cant reductions in their adolescents’ externalizing behavior problems at treatment completion. Mediation model showed that, among parents completing the Connect program reductions in parental stress were mediated through decreases in adolescents’ externalizing behavior problems. Decrease in adolescents’ externalizing behavioral problems affected parental stress experienced in caring. These preliminary results underscore the importance of helping parents of adolescents to reduce levels of parenting stress through effective interventions able to curtail adolescents’ emotional and behavioral problems. Furthermore, they provide additional evidence for the effectiveness of the Connect program and offer insights into the potential mechanisms that underlie change.