Effectiveness of family-centered program for enhancing competencies of responsive parenting among caregivers for early childhood development in rural India

Background: Responsive parenting constitutes an essential part of the context in which children live and has shown a positive effect on child development in the early years of life.

Aims: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of family parenting programs for enhancing competencies of responsive parenting among caregivers.

Study design: Cluster-RCT in 50 Anganwadi center areas. Twenty-five intervention clusters received responsive parenting intervention. Anganwadi workers delivered sessions after support and training.

Subjects: We enrolled 530 mother-child dyads; 264 (49.9 %) from the intervention arm and 266 (50.1 %) from the control arm.

Outcome measures: We assessed caregivers' knowledge and skills about child development using a parenting quiz. We evaluated the effect of an intervention on the home environment, mother-child interaction, and development outcomes at the endpoint.

Results: We conducted 200 parenting sessions in 25 intervention clusters. Caregivers attended, on average, five sessions out of the nine scheduled. Caregivers with improved knowledge and skills about nutrition, shelter & care, play & stimulation for responsive parenting were significantly more in the intervention than in the control arm (p < 0.05). Mean difference in scores of home environment (1.24; SE-0.75 & ICC-0.088) and mother to child interaction (2.36; SE-0.87 & ICC-0.023) motor development (1.71; SE-0.61 & ICC-0.002), language development (2.97; SE-0.85 & ICC-0.002) and socioemotional development (1.45; SE-0.56 & ICC-0.066) between intervention and control arm was statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: A locally adapted, family parenting curriculum was a practical approach for enhancing parents' competencies and confidence to promote early child development.