Impact of the Effective Black Parenting Program on the Behavior Problems of African American Preschool Children

Abstract

This study examined the impact of the Effective Black Parenting (EBP) program, a culturally appropriate intervention, on the child behavior problems of African American preschool children. The research involved secondary analysis of data from a larger study entitled, "Fostering Resiliency in At-Risk African American Children." A quasi-experimental design was used with a sample of 64 low income, African American parents in Washington, DC; 33 parents in the intervention group completed an eight-session EBP program and 31 parents were members of the comparison group. Analyses of pretest to posttest change scores of the two groups revealed that intervention group children demonstrated significantly greater reductions in externalizing, aggressive, and anxious/depressed behavior problems than the comparison group. There were also trends for EBP children to exhibit greater reductions in internalizing and attention problems than their comparison group peers. Implications of the findings for practice and future research are discussed.