Parenting programmes reduce violence against teenage girls by over 60%

A University of Cape Town (UCT) study in collaboration with the University of Oxford has found that parenting programmes, when delivered at scale, cut physical abuse against adolescent girls by 65% and emotional abuse by 59%. The study was conducted in eight African countries and published in the journal BMJ Global Health.

Led by UCT’s Professor Catherine Ward, Dr Francesca Little, Professor Jamie Lachman and Oxford’s Professor Lucie Cluver, the study examined the effectiveness of the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)-endorsed programmes for caregivers and adolescents in reducing violence against adolescents, strengthening parenting practices and improving mental health.

The study, “Are parenting programmes effective at scale? Associations with violence against adolescent girls, parenting, and mental health in real-world delivery across eight African countries: a meta-analysis of pre-post surveys”, analysed data from over 123 000 participants in parenting programmes delivered through government and non-governmental partners in Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe between 2016 and 2022.

Parenting programmes are widely used to strengthen caregiver-child relationships, reduce violent discipline and improve child behaviour. However, until now, there has been limited evidence on their effectiveness when delivered at scale through routine government and non-governmental organisation (NGO) systems. This evidence gap is particularly important as Africa’s adolescent population – the world’s fastest-growing – is expected to reach half a billion by 2050. Adolescence is also a formative period that shapes lifelong health behaviours and values.

Findings

The research found that large-scale programmes delivered through routine NGO and government systems generate substantial and consistent benefits, including:

Reductions in violence and harmful practices experienced by adolescents

• 65% reduction in physical abuse
• 59% reduction in emotional abuse
• 55% reduction in approval of corporal punishment.

Improvements in parenting practices

• 52% increase in positive parenting practices, such as talking openly with children, spending one-on-one time together, discussing friendships
• 48% decrease in poor supervision and monitoring.

Improvements in mental health

• 25% reduction in caregiver depressive symptoms
• 46% reduction in parenting stress
• 22% reduction in adolescent depressive symptoms
• 43% reduction in adolescent externalising behaviour problems.

“These findings come at a pivotal moment,” said Professor Ward from UCT’s Department of Psychology. “In 2024, more than 50 governments committed to expanding parent and caregiver support and, in November this year, the Second Global Ministerial Conference will assess progress and future commitments.

“Our research shows that these parenting programmes have a huge impact, can be delivered through existing systems, remain effective across diverse settings, including humanitarian and crisis situations, and are cost-effective. Together, this presents a strong case for governments to invest in and scale up evidence-based parenting support.”

Bridging the evidence-based research to community-led action

Stepping Stones International delivered the parenting programme in Botswana under the project name Pinagare. Executive director and founder, Lisa Jamu, commented on bridging the evidence-based research to community-led action: “Our work has shown how parenting programmes can move out of the lab and into communities. We’ve seen real, large-scale impacts such as reduced family violence and improved mental health that prove this model is replicable, sustainable, and can be delivered by local facilitators through routine government partnerships. This is a green light to scale nationwide so more children can grow up in nurturing homes.”

The study analysed outcomes from the Parenting for Lifelong Health for Teens parenting programme, which was developed by Parenting for Lifelong Health, a charity based at the University of Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention, working in partnership with governments, NGOs and international agencies.