Faculty of Education - Theses

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Subject: Study and teaching × Start date: 1980 × End date: 1999 × Type: PhD thesis ×

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    An evaluation of the effectiveness of a rational emotive parent education programme
    Joyce, Marie R. (1939-) ( 1988)
    The effects of a rational-emotive parent education programme were studied on forty eight parents from a nonclinical population. The study employed a pre-test post-test control group design to investigate the effects of the Rational Parenting Programme which had four main goals with a dual emphasis on the mental health of the parent and the mental health of the child - helping parents develop emotional responsibility, rational discipline, rational thinking traits in their child, and rational problem solving. Four groups of dependent variables were studied: parent irrationality, parent emotionality, parent perceptions of child problems and the perception of participants' parenting by their spouses. Parent emotions studied were trait anxiety, state anxiety, self downing, anger, guilt, discomfort and wellbeing. Parent irrationality was measured by the Belief Scale which was further validated in the study. Validation evidence for the Belief Scale included findings that (a) the total scale correlated significantly with all emotional measures, (b) the Low Frustration Tolerance subscale with perceived child anxiety, and (c) the Low Frustration Tolerance and Self Worth subscales correlated with the spouse dissatisfaction measure. Results of the study showed that the Rational Parenting Programme was effective in reducing parent irrationality on the overall irrationality measure. Significant effects were found for each subscale of irrationality, with changes in Low Frustration Tolerance showing the strongest effect followed by changes in Self Worth and Demandingness. The results also showed that the Rational Parenting Programme was effective in reducing guilt in experimental group subjects and, for those parents with moderate to high entering levels of anger and state anxiety, the programme was effective in reducing levels of those two negative emotions. No group intervention effects were found for trait anxiety, self downing and wellbeing. No significant group intervention effects were found for the child or spouse variables, and no interaction effects were found between treatment effectiveness and the variables of gender, educational level and participation/nonparticipation of spouse in the programme. There were no differences in intervention effects between two experienced leaders. In experimental group subjects, changes in parent irrationality were found to be correlated with changes in emotions, namely guilt, self downing and trait anxiety, which were associated with changes in Self Worth and Low Frustration Tolerance. Exploratory findings from a ten month follow-up showed that both the changes in parent irrationality and the changes in guilt, self downing, trait anxiety were maintained. Additional changes found at follow-up in association with changes in parent irrationality were changes in discomfort and changes in the number of perceived child problems. This study adds to our understanding of the role of irrationality and emotional stress and in particular demonstrates that RET is a useful intervention in modifying parental negative emotions. Implications of these findings for future research are presented.