The prevention of violence in childhood through parenting programmes: a global review

A special issue of the Journal of Psychology, Health and Medicine, featuring 15 papers was commissioned by Know Violence in Childhood: A Global Learning Initiative.  This article is a review of 20 systematic reviews and 8 comprehensive reviews to examine the evidence on the role of parenting programs in reducing childhood violence and maltreatment in both high income and low and middle income countries.  The study found that there is a lack of good evidence from low and middle income countries–where the risk of violence against children is the greatest–however the findings do suggest that parenting programs can be effective in reducing childhood maltreatment and abuse.  The authors end with a discussion on implications for policy and future research on topics such as cost-effectiveness and general versus targeted approaches.