Book-Sharing for Parenting and Child Development in South Africa: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Dowdall, Nicholas, Murray, Lynne, Skeen, Sarah, Marlow, Marguerite, De Pascalis, Leonardo ORCID: 0000-0002-9150-3468, Gardner, Frances, Tomlinson, Mark and Cooper, Peter J (2021) Book-Sharing for Parenting and Child Development in South Africa: A Randomized Controlled Trial. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 92 (6). pp. 2252-2267.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13619

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact of a parenting intervention on children's cognitive and socioemotional development in a group of caregivers and their 21-to-28-month-old children in a low-income South African township. A randomized controlled trial compared an experimental group (n = 70) receiving training in dialogic book-sharing (8 weekly group sessions) with a wait-list control group (n = 70). They were assessed before the intervention, immediately following it, and at a six month follow-up. The intervention had positive effects on child language and attention, but not behavior problems, prosocial behavior, or theory of mind. Intervention caregivers were less verbally and psychologically harsh, showed more sensitivity and reciprocity and more complex cognitive talk. This program benefitted parenting and child development and holds promise for low-income contexts.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Humans, Child Development, Parenting, Parents, Books, Child, Child, Preschool, Infant, South Africa, Problem Behavior
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	12 Jan 2021 08:59
Last Modified:	18 Jan 2023 23:03
DOI:	10.1111/cdev.13619
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3113278