Page 70 - Disrupting the Transmission of Violence

138 parents, 12 males and 126 females completed the programme. This highlights the

limited perspectives gained from the fathers. As a result, it is difficult to determine whether
they have similar emotional and behavioral responses to coercive parenting. Finally,

with respect to workshop attendance, the data show that approximately one third of
the parents who engaged in the programme attended the workshops. As such, those

parents who did not attend missed opportunities to receive additional information that
would reinforce any content covered in the one-on-one sessions with the CPTs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following are some recommendations based on the at-home implementation
parenting intervention, and preliminary evaluation results. Although preliminary results of

the evaluation are indicating that the parenting practices are less than acceptable in this
country, the short term results of the intervention are indicating improvement on parents’

performance, less coercive punishments, and better dialogue between children and
parents.

1. This new insight can be used to frame policies to guide intervention strategies on

parenting practices in the future. This is a step in the right direction in view of the
fact that there is a dearth of data on parenting practices in Jamaica.

2. Parents should be assisted in making the link between ineffective practices such
as threatening, belittling, and corporal punishments, and their contributions to

antisocial behaviours. It is necessary to develop the capacity of parents, by way of
training, to become advocates for their children, and to encourage them to use

effective parenting practices that will contribute to the holistic development of the
children.

3. Parents should be assisted in finding resources such as support groups, and locations
where there is the information in printed materials, videos, on line resources; or the

human resources can support their capacity building to be effective parents.
4. It is most important that a variety of treatment programmes are available for

individual and family interventions, by way of therapy, and training programmes
are implemented, to assist all members of a family to access the support needed

to ease the unresolved challenges that they are experiencing. Parent training
programmes can be implemented in schools, clinics, teacher colleges, and child-

care residential homes, to address the needs of children at risk of being involved in

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