Efeitos da intervenção Standard Triplo P nos níveis de Stress Psicológico e Fisiológico de Pais e Crianças com medida de apoio junto dos pais

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the effects of of a positive parenting intervention, the Standard Triple P, in families engaged with the Child Protective Services in the district of Porto, on children's and parents perceived and physiological stress levels, which included the hair cortisol concentration. The participants were 45 children (Mage = 9.02) and 50 parents (Mage = 37.65). The Perceived Stress Scale and the Maastricht University Stress Instrument for Children were used to measure parents' and children's perceived stress, respectively. To evaluate the physiological stress levels, a strand of hair was collected and processed to obtain the hair cortisol concentration. The study followed a quasi-experimental design, with one group receiving the Standard Triple P intervention (n=26) and one control group receiving a standard intervention in community-based services (n=24). Parents and children were evaluated before and after the intervention. The findings show a reduction in the perceived stress levels of parents and an increase in the perceived psychological stress levels of children whose parents received the intervention. There were no effects of the intervention on hair cortisol concentrations. The findings of the present study are exploratory in nature, future studies should replicate the procedure and analytic plan with larger sample sizes.