Thompson, R. W., Grow, C. R., Ruma, P. R., Daly, D. L., & Burke, R. V. (1993). Evaluation of a practical parenting program with middle and low-income families. Family Relations, 42(1), 21–25. https://doi.org/10.2307/584916

Type of Study: One-group pretest–posttest study
Number of Participants: 34

Population:

• Age — Parents: Not Specified; Children: Low-income group: Mean=8.8 years, Middle-income group: Mean=9.5 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Parents: Low-income group: 90% Caucasian and 10% Oriental, Middle-income group: 84% Caucasian and 16% Black; Children: Not specified
• Gender — Parents: Low-income group: 90% Female and 10% Male, Middle-income group: 75% Female and 25% Male; Children: Low-income group: 70% Male and 30% Female, Middle-income group: 54% Female and 46% Male
• Status — Participants were referred by an outside agency, self-referred, or referred by a friend.

Location/Institution: Not specified

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a program to teach practical child management skills to parents, Common Sense Parenting (CSP). Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Parent Attitude Test (PAT), and the Problem-Solving Inventory. Results indicate that for both low-income and middle-income families, parental reports of child behavior problems, parent attitudes, and parent problem-solving skills improved significantly from before parent training to after with the CSP program. There were no significant changes from immediately after parent training to the 3-month follow-up, though problem frequency scores for children from low-income families moved from clinical to normal ranges after training and maintained there at the 3-month follow-up, and problem frequency scores for children from middle-income families were in the normal range at all 3 time periods. Limitations include small sample size, length of follow-up, and lack of a control group.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 3 months.

Thompson, R. W., Ruma, P. R., Schuchmann, L. F., & Burke, R. V. (1996). A cost-effectiveness evaluation of parent training. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 5, 415–429. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02233863

Type of Study: One-group pretest–posttest study
Number of Participants: 66 parents

Population:

• Age — Parents: 32–35 years; Children: 2–17 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Parents: 64 Caucasian and 2 Unspecified; Children: Not specified
• Gender — Parents: 57 Female and 9 Male; Children: 42 Male and 24 Female
• Status — Participants requested or were referred to Common Sense Parenting (CSP).

Location/Institution: 3 Midwestern communities

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a cost-reduced version of Common Sense Parenting (CSP), which was reduced from 8 weeks to 6 weeks. Thirty-nine parents were assigned to the parent training (PT)/CSP condition, based strictly on availability. As classes became full in each of the 3 Midwestern community locations, parents were placed in the wait list control (WLC) condition. Measures utilized include the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Parent Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), and the Family Satisfaction Scale (FSS). Results indicate that parents who completed CSP training reported more improvement in externalizing child problems, such as delinquent and aggressive behavior, and more satisfaction and efficacy as a parent, when compared with the WLC group. These effects were maintained at 3 months posttreatment. There were no statistically significant treatment effects found, however, for internalizing problem behavior, such as depression or anxiety, or for clinical recovery rates for children in the clinical range. Limitations of the study include the lack of complete randomization and control, as well as the homogeneity of an almost entirely Caucasian sample, and length of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 3 months.

Ruma, P. R., Burke, R. V., & Thompson, R. W. (1996). Group parent training: Is it effective for children of all ages? Behavior Therapy, 27(2), 159–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(96)80012-8

Type of Study: One-group pretest–posttest study
Number of Participants: 206

Population:

• Age — Parents: 27–38 years; Children: 2–16 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
• Gender — Parents: Not Specified; Children: 67% Male and 33% Female
• Status — Participants were involved in the child welfare system.

Location/Institution: Orlando, FL; Omaha, NE; San Antonio, TX

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine archival data from mothers who attended group parent training, Common Sense Parenting (CSP). Participants at each site were divided into three groups according to age to compare group parent training outcomes: early childhood (2–5 years), middle childhood (6–11 years), and adolescence (12–16 years). Measures utilized include the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results indicate that all CSP groups showed improvement in behavioral problems, but at different rates, suggesting a possible age effect on outcome; the middle childhood group demonstrated the most clinically significant gains. Limitations include the lack of a control group and the use of only one measure, especially one with the potential for self-report biasing.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Thompson, R. W., Ruma, P. R., Brewster, A. L., Besetsney, L. K., & Burke, R. V. (1997). Evaluation of an Air Force child physical abuse prevention project using the reliable change index. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 6(4), 421–434. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025093328618

Type of Study: One-group pretest–posttest study
Number of Participants: 379

Population:

• Age — Parents: Mean=33.06 years; Children: Mean=7.88 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Parents: 73% White, 13% African American, 9% Hispanic, and 5% Other; Children: Not Specified
• Gender — Parents: 62% Female and 38% Male; Children: 58% Male and 42% Female
• Status — Participants were active duty or civilian employee parents and their spouses who attended Common Sense Parenting (CSP) classes at 25 Air Force bases in the continental United States (CONUS) and overseas (OCONUS). Most were self-referred, active duty parents who had no prior history of abuse. The most frequently cited reason for enrolling in parent training was parent-child conflict.

Location/Institution: 25 Air Force bases in the continental United States (CONUS) and overseas (OCONUS)

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of Common Sense Parenting (CSP) on preventing the development of coercive parent-child interaction. Measures utilized include the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Family Satisfaction Scale (FSS) and the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAP). Results indicate that parents reported significant reductions in child behavior problems for both internalizing and externalizing behaviors, as well as in total number of reported behavior problems. Additionally, there was a significant decrease in parents’ risk for child physical abuse and an increase in their satisfaction with family relationships. Preintervention-postintervention improvements were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Limitations include the lack of a control group, the self-report nature of the measures, and the fact that follow-up data were available for only about 10% of the participants with preintervention-postintervention data.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: < 6 months (Number of sessions completed varied from parent to parent).

Griffith, A. K. (2010). The use of a behavioral parent training program for parents of adolescents. Journal of At-Risk Issues, 15(2), 1–8. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ942866.pdf

Type of Study: One-group pretest–posttest study
Number of Participants: 42

Population:

• Age — Not Specified
• Race/Ethnicity — Not Specified
• Gender — Not Specified
• Status — Participants included parents of adolescents aged 12–16 years who sought out the program on their own or were referred through child welfare, juvenile justice, local pediatric clinics, and local school districts.

Location/Institution: Not Specified

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a 6-session behavioral parent training program – Common Sense Parenting (CSP) with parents of adolescents. Measures utilized include the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Parenting Stress Inventory-Short Form (PSI-SF). Results indicate a significant decrease from pretest to posttest in scores for both subscales of the CBCL, Rule-breaking and Aggression, as well as the Externalizing Behaviors score. Additionally, scores on both PSI-SF subscales, Parent Distress and Parent Child Dysfunctional Interaction, decreased significantly from pretest to posttest. Limitations include the small sample size, lack of a control group, and lack of posttreatment follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Mason, W. A., Fleming, C. B., Ringle, J. L., Thompson, R. W., Haggerty, K. P., & Snyder-Griffith, J. J. (2015). Reducing risks for problem behaviors during the high school transition: Proximal outcomes in the Common Sense Parenting trial. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 2568–2578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-0059-5

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 321 families

Population:

• Age — Parents: Mean=40 years; Adolescents: Mean=13 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Parents: 48% Caucasian/White, 26% African American, 9% Hispanic/Latino, 4% Asian American, 4% Pacific Islander, 2% Native American, and 7% Mixed or Other; Adolescents: Not specified
• Gender — Parents: 83% Female; Youth: 53% Female
• Status — Participants were parents and children recruited from 8th grade junior high school.

Location/Institution: Tacoma, Washington

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to test Common Sense Parenting (CSP), in its standard form and in a modified form known as CSP Plus, with low-income 8th graders and their families during the high school transition. Participants were randomly allocated to CSP, CSP Plus, or minimal-contact control conditions. Measures utilized include the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) and the Social Competence Scale-Parent (PCOMP-P). Results indicate that CSP and CSP Plus had statistically significant effects on increased parent-reported child emotion regulation skills. CSP Plus further showed a statistically significant effect on increased parent perceptions of their adolescent being prepared for high school, but only in a model that excluded the CSP condition. Neither program had a significant proximal effect on parenting practices. Additionally, CSP Plus showed some limited signs of added value for preparing families for the high school transition. Limitations include reliability of self-reported measures, statistically significant intervention effect sizes were not large in magnitude, and length of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: Approximately 6 months.

Fleming, C. B., Mason, W. A., Haggerty, K. P., Thompson, R. W., Fernandez, K., Casey-Goldstein, M., & Oats, R. G. (2015). Predictors of participation in parenting workshops for improving adolescent behavioral and mental health: Results from the Common Sense Parenting trial. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 36(2), 105–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-015-0386-3

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 321 families

Population:

• Age — Parents: Mean=40 years; Adolescents: Mean=13 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Parents: 48% Caucasian/White, 26% African American, 9% Hispanic/Latino, 4% Asian American, 4% Pacific Islander, 2% Native American, and 7% Mixed or Other; Adolescents: Not specified
• Gender — Parents: 83% Female; Youth: 53% Female
• Status — Participants were parents and children recruited from 8th grade junior high school.

Location/Institution: Tacoma, Washington

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Mason et al. (2015). The purpose of the study was to examine predictors of engagement and retention in a group-based family intervention across two versions of the program: Common Sense Parenting (CSP), a standard version requiring only parent attendance for six sessions, and CSP Plus, an adapted version with two additional sessions that required attendance by the son or daughter. Participants were randomly allocated to CSP, CSP Plus, or minimal-contact control conditions. Measures utilized include the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) and the Social Competence Scale-Parent (PCOMP-P). Results indicate that CSP Plus had a higher rate of engagement than CSP, a difference that was statistically significant after adjusting for other variables assessed at enrollment in the study. Higher household income and parent education, younger student age, and poorer affective quality in the parent–child relationship predicted greater likelihood of initial attendance. In CSP Plus, parents of boys were more likely to engage with the program than those of girls. The variables considered did not strongly predict retention, although retention was higher among parents of boys. Retention did not significantly differ between conditions. There was no support for the concern that asking children of parents to attend workshops might decrease engagement. Limitations include reliance on self-reported measures, generalizability of the findings being limited by the community sample taking part in an evaluation of a preventive intervention, and lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Fleming, C. B., Mason, W. A., Thompson, R. W., Haggerty, K. P., & Gross, T. J. (2015). Child and parent report of parenting as predictors of substance use and suspensions from school. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 36(5), 625–645. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431615574886

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 321 families

Population:

• Age — Parents: Mean=40 years; Adolescents: Mean=13 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Parents: 48% Caucasian/White, 26% African American, 9% Hispanic/Latino, 4% Asian American, 4% Pacific Islander, 2% Native American, and 7% Mixed or other; Adolescents: Not specified
• Gender — Parents: 83% Female; Youth: 53% Female
• Status — Participants were parents and children recruited from 8th grade junior high school.

Location/Institution: Tacoma, Washington

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Mason et al. (2015). The purpose of the study was to utilize Common Sense Parenting (CSP) to examine how child and parent reports of parenting were related to early adolescent substance use and school suspensions. Participants were randomly allocated to CSP, CSP Plus, or minimal-contact control conditions. Measures utilized include the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) and the Social Competence Scale-Parent (PCOMP-P). Results indicate that relationships between measures of parenting and adolescent problem behavior outcomes are not uniform across reporters or across behaviors, and that, in some cases, the discrepancies between child and parent report may be important. Both parent and child report of overall better family management practices had unadjusted associations with less substance use, but only child-report predicted substance use when both measures were considered together and use at baseline was controlled. Limitations include reliance on self-reported measures, generalizability of the findings being limited by the community sample taking part in an evaluation of a preventive intervention, and lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Mason, W. A., January, S. A. A., Fleming, C. B., Thompson, R. W., Parra, G. R., Haggerty, K. P., & Snyder, J. J. (2016). Parent training to reduce problem behaviors over the transition to high school: Tests of indirect effects through improved emotion regulation skills. Children and Youth Services Review, 61, 176–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.12.022

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 321 families

Population:

• Age — Parents: Mean=40 years; Adolescents: Mean=13 years
• Race/Ethnicity — Parents: 48% Caucasian/White, 26% African American, 9% Hispanic/Latino, 4% Asian American, 4% Pacific Islander, 2% Native American, and 7% Mixed or Other; Adolescents: Not specified
• Gender — Parents: 83% Female; Adolescents: 53% Female
• Status — Participants were parents and children recruited from 8th grade junior high school.

Location/Institution: Tacoma, Washington

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Mason et al. (2015). The purpose of the study was to utilize Common Sense Parenting (CSP) to examine reduced substance use, conduct problems, and school suspensions through previously identified short-term improvements in parents' reports of their children's emotion regulation skills. Participants were randomly allocated to CSP, CSP Plus, or minimal-contact control conditions. Measures utilized include the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Social Competence Scale-Parent (PCOMP-P). Results indicate that when compared to the control group, no direct effects of CSP on adolescent problem behaviors were found at 1-year and 2-year follow-ups and no direct effects of CSP on parenting were found at posttreatment, 1-year, and 2 year follow-ups. CSP did have statistically significant indirect effects on reduced substance use (1-year follow-up), conduct problems (2-year follow-up), and school suspensions (1- and 2-year follow-up) through improved parent-reported child emotion regulation skills at posttest. Limitations include reliance on self-reported measures, generalizability of the findings is limited by the community sample taking part in an evaluation of a preventive intervention, and intervention condition families were offered an incentive to participate in the program.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 1 and 2 years.

Mason, W. A., Fleming, C. B., Gross, T. J., Thompson, R. W., Parra, G. J., Haggerty, K. P., & Snyder, J. J. (2016). Randomized trial of parent training to prevent adolescent problem behaviors during the high school transition. Journal of Family Psychology, 30(8), 944–954. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000204

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 321 families

Population:

• Age — Parents: Mean=40; Adolescents: Mean=13 years years
• Race/Ethnicity — Parents: 48% Caucasian/White, 26% African American, 9% Hispanic/Latino, 4% Asian American, 4% Pacific Islander, 2% Native American, and 7% Mixed or Other; Adolescents: Not specified
• Gender — Parents: 83% Female; Adolescents: 53% Female
• Status — Participants were parents and children recruited from 8th grade junior high school.

Location/Institution: Tacoma, Washington

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Mason et al. (2015). The purpose of the study was to test the efficacy of Common Sense Parenting (CSP) with low-income 8th graders and their families to support a positive transition to high school. Participants were randomly allocated to CSP, CSP Plus, or minimal-contact control conditions. Measures utilized include the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), the Parent-Child Affective Quality (PCAQ), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Conduct Problems Scale, and the Social Competence Scale. Results indicate that out of 52 regression models predicting 1- and 2-year follow-up outcomes, only 2 out of 104 possible intervention effects were statistically significant. No statistically significant intervention effects were found in the growth curve analyses. Tests of moderation also showed few statistically significant effects. Because CSP already is in widespread use, findings have direct implications for practice. Specifically, findings suggest that the program may not be efficacious with parents of adolescents in a selective prevention context and may reveal the limits of brief, general parent training for achieving outcomes with parents of adolescents. Limitations include reliance on self-reported measures, generalizability of the findings is limited by the community sample taking part in an evaluation of a preventive intervention, and intervention condition families were offered an incentive to participate in the program.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 1 and 2 years.