Abstract
Introduction: The parent-child relationship and parenting skills play a key role in a child’s well-being and development. The International Child Development Programme (ICDP) is a programme for parents and carers of children and young people of all ages that is mostly implemented as group activities and aims to reinforce good, positive interaction and the sensitivity and ability of carers to encounter children with respect and to strengthen the parent’s confidence in their parenthood, positively influence the parent’s perceptions of the child and support the child in being heard.
Research question: Does the International Child Development Programme (ICDP) have an impact on the parenting skills and parent-child relationship of 0–18-year-old children in the Finnish context?
Data and methods: The literature search was carried out using the Population, Concept, Context (PCC) search strategy typical for literature reviews with a focus on the question: What research has been conducted on the International Child Development Programme (ICDP)? The used search terms were: P = parents of children and young people aged 0–18, C = International Child Development Programme, C = Parenting skills and parent-child relationship. The primary focus of interest of the literature search was on impact studies related to the method, but studies using other research designs were also included. The systematic literature search was performed in the MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, ERIC, Web of Science and Scopus databases and was complemented by a manual search.
Results: Based on the literature search, eight studies were included in the review. Six of these were Nordic impact studies which served as the basis for the impact assessment of the method. Additionally, two Nordic implementation studies were included. As the programme is not based on a clear manual, its description was assessed using various sources. For the target group, implementation, responses and a guide aimed at instructors, the programme description was assessed as “described but not sufficiently”. On the other hand, the programme target phenomenon, objectives, means, key elements and flexibility, implementers and the materials aimed at the programme recipients were sufficiently described. The programme relies on many theories whose description was considered sufficient. The impact mechanisms of the programme are based on generally accepted theories explaining human behaviour. The studies found that the programme has positive impacts on some of the examined responses. An article by Brekke and colleagues (2023) found that the programme had statistically significant positive effects on parents’ self-efficacy and emotional sensitivity in the area of emotion-regulating behaviour both immediately after participation in the ICDP and in a follow-up four months later. The impacts were minor in the four-month follow-up measurement (d = 0.20-0.23, NNT (NumberNeeded-to-Treat) = 7.69-8.93).
Overall assessment: There is moderate documented evidence (4/5) of the International Child Development Programme in the Finnish context. The implementation readiness of the programme was realised in six out of ten areas.