Are parenting programmes enough to prevent violence?

This policy brief evaluates a multi-year intervention (2012–2019) in Touwsranten, South Africa, which combined four Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) programmes with a social activation process. While the study observed reductions in parenting stress and improvements in children's mental health, it found that systemic issues—including intimate partner violence, substance misuse, and poor adult mental health—undermined the ability to achieve a community-wide shift toward positive parenting.

• The intervention achieved a community-wide reduction in parenting stress and improvements in children's mental health, though it failed to produce a community-wide shift toward positive parenting. Specifically, there was an overall 5% decrease in parenting stress between the baseline and the end of the study, and children's internalising and externalising behaviours decreased by 2% and 3% respectively.
• Parenting programmes were effective in increasing parental involvement and reducing the use of spanking, although they did not reduce shouting or beating children with objects.
• The effectiveness of parenting interventions is severely limited by interconnected stressors. Intimate partner violence, poor mental health, and risky alcohol use were all associated with increased parenting stress; specifically, positive parenting decreased by 12% in the presence of intimate partner violence and by 28% when parents were highly stressed.
• The intervention faced significant linguistic and cultural barriers. Because suitable isiXhosa-speaking facilitators were not identified during the research period, isiXhosa-speaking caregivers did not participate in the parenting programmes, which were delivered in Afrikaans.
• Parenting programmes can influence the behaviour of non-participants through social networks. Caregivers who attended at least one session showed greater activity and influence in communication networks, seeking and receiving social support and sharing knowledge with others.
• Social activation processes helped community members imagine a better future through the development of songs and a manifesto for change, despite a prevailing negative view of the community driven by challenging material circumstances and a lack of belief in the possibility of change.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Are parenting programmes enough to prevent violence? https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-171.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Are parenting programmes enough to prevent violence? n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-171.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Are parenting programmes enough to prevent violence? |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-171.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndare, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Are parenting programmes enough to prevent violence?}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PB-171.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }