Purpose: Given the increasing demand for mental health resources and challenges associated with engaging adolescents in therapy, it is crucial to evaluate alternative intervention modalities that empower parents to manage child behavior and enhance parental competency. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a parental guidance book on these outcomes. Method: A convenience sample of 128 Israeli parents were randomly assigned to experimental or control group. After pretest, treatment parents read a guidebook, and after 1 month, both groups were re-assessed. Multiple regression was used to test hypotheses. Results: Treatment parents reported significant improvements in parental competency and reductions in reported child behavior symptoms compared to controls. Frequency and number of strategies predicted an increase in parents’ sense of competency and control. Discussion: Substantial effect sizes indicate that structured, self-administered guidance can benefit parenting practices and outcomes. Findings support broader implementation of such interventions, particularly where traditional therapeutic resources are scarce or inaccessible.

中文翻译：

---

自我指导的育儿干预对父母能力和儿童行为的随机试验


目的：鉴于对心理健康资源的需求不断增加以及与让青少年参与治疗相关的挑战，评估使父母能够管理儿童行为和提高父母能力的替代干预方式至关重要。本研究评估了父母指导书对这些结果的有效性。方法：将 128 名以色列父母的便利样本随机分配到实验组或对照组。预测后，治疗父母阅读指南，1 个月后，两组均重新评估。多元回归用于检验假设。结果： 与对照组相比，治疗父母报告父母能力显着改善，报告的儿童行为症状减少。策略的频率和数量预测了父母能力感和控制感的增加。讨论：实质性的影响大小表明，结构化的、自我管理的指导可以有益于育儿实践和结果。研究结果支持更广泛地实施此类干预措施，尤其是在传统治疗资源稀缺或无法获得的情况下。