Preventing problems with boys' noncompliance: Effects of a parent trainingintervention for divorcing mothers

This study provided a randomized. experimental test of the efficacy of a pa rent training intervention on coercive discipline, positive parenting pract ices, and child noncompliance in a sample of 238 divorcing mothers and thei r sons in Grades 1-3. Intervention effects were evaluated 5 times from base line to 30 months. The intervention produced enduring benefits to coercive discipline, positive parenting, and boys' noncompliance. These benefits fol lowed a classic prevention effect: Mothers and sons in the experimental gro up maintained stable outcome trajectories, whereas those in the control gro up deteriorated. The intervention's impact on boys' noncompliance was media ted independently by its impact on coercive discipline and positive parenti ng. Change in positive parenting was more strongly associated with change i n noncompliance than was change in coercive discipline, although each expla ined unique variance in change in noncompliance.