Parenting Education for Low-Income Job Seekers: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of the Parenting with Love and Logic Program

Abstract

Although the principles and strategies outlined in Cline and Fay’s (1990) Parenting with Love and Logic have been the foundation for several parent and educator training curricula over the last 30 years, there has been a dearth of empirical research to evaluate these programs (Fay, 2012). Prior research has documented the impact of cumulative family risk factors on parenting skills and child outcomes (Repetti et al., 2002, 2012), but few studies have examined the impact of parenting education courses within unemployed, low-income families. This study investigates perceived parental efficacy across the four program domains of connection, autonomy, regulation, and parental stress management within a sample (n = 267) of unemployed parents from several counties across a western state. Analyses show consistent retrospective-pre to post improvement across all four domains. Additionally, reported gains did not vary significantly by gender, age, ethnicity, education level, prior divorce, or financial strain. Small group differences were found according to income level, the age of the participants’ oldest child, and dosage (amount of prior relationship education exposure as well as the number of class sessions attended). Qualitative results are included to illustrate further the thoughts and experiences of program participants.

Keywords

• parenting
• relationship education
• connection
• autonomy
• regulation
• parental stress
• low-income
• unemployed