Co-Parenting Program Improves Outcomes for Low-Income Families

Published June 2021 | Journal of Family Psychology

For families living in poverty, home visiting programs provide support in raising young children. While these programs welcome participation by fathers, they primarily target mothers—few involve systematic efforts and curriculum development that works with both parents.

To better reflect the essential role fathers play in raising children, the Every Child Succeeds team developed a clinical trial of Family Foundations, a program that works with both mothers and fathers to support co-parenting. Among this population of families living in poverty, the program was associated with broad improvements in mothers, fathers, and parenting.

Participants included 150 low-income mother-father groups during pregnancy or shortly after birth. These groups received Family Foundations Home Visiting, a program consisting of 11 in-home sessions focusing on parental cooperation, collaboration, and conflict management.

Using a novel analytic approach called complier average causal effect (CACE) analysis, researchers determined the benefits of completing at least nine of these sessions—an important factor, as families often struggle to receive the full complement of services.

Among these mothers and fathers, the team found lower depression and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, improved coping with stress, and decreased psychological aggression in fathers. Both parents showed benefits in parenting their children, including increased levels of affection, engagement with their child, and sensitivity to child needs.

“Currently, there are no programs targeting co-parenting offered in home visiting,” says lead author Robert Ammerman, PhD. “Our findings provide support for incorporating Family Foundations to engage fathers, promote co-parenting, and maximize outcomes for parents and children.”

Next, the team will complete long-term follow-up studies, develop strategies to promote full program participation, and identify the program’s most beneficial elements to create shorter but equally effective interventions.

CACE Results for Family Foundations Home Visiting