A randomized controlled trial of the effects of parental involvement in supported playgroup on parenting stress and toddler social-communicative behavior

This paper reports a randomized controlled trial in which the effects of parental involvement in supported playgroup on parenting stress and toddler social-communicative behavior were tested. Participants were 58 toddlers (Mage = 20.60 months, SD = 1.85; 25 boys and 33 girls) and their parents. The parent-toddler dyads were randomly assigned to either parent-involved or parent-uninvolved playgroup. Before and after the seven-week playgroup program, we used the Parental Stress Scale to measure parenting stress, and the Communicative Development Inventory to measure the toddlers’ communicative behavior. Observational data of toddler behavior during the playgroup were also obtained in the first, forth, and last session of the program. Results showed that parents from the parent-involved group experienced a reduction in parenting stress following the program, whereas those from the parent-uninvolved group did not. Although toddlers from both groups showed increased communicative behavior after the program, the increment in the parent-involved group was significantly greater than the parent-uninvolved group. Toddlers from the parent-involved group also exhibited greater improvements in engagement in playgroup activities and interactions with other adults and peers across the program period. The findings suggest that parental involvement is crucial in reaping the benefits of supported playgroup.