Publication: Helping Families Help Themselves? Heterogeneous Effects of a Digital Parenting Program
Date
2021-11
ISSN
Published
2021-11
Author(s)
Abstract
Parenting practices are crucial for
the development of children’s brains and social skills.
However, parenting styles may be far from ideal,
particularly those of caregivers with high stress levels.
Using an individual-level experiment with male and female
caregivers of young children in El Salvador, this paper
evaluates the impact of a free digital stress management and
positive parenting intervention. The results indicate that,
for males, the intervention increased stress and anxiety and
lowered caregiver-child interactions. The effect on males
was concentrated among the poorer and those residing with a
partner. In contrast, women’s mental health was not
impacted. Yet, their use of physical violence toward
children decreased by 18 percent. These results align with
theories linking economic deprivation and family structure
to caregivers’ cognitive overload and mental health.
Citation
“Amaral, Sofia; Dinarte Diaz, Lelys; Dominguez, Patricio; Perez-Vincent, Santiago M.. 2021. Helping Families Help Themselves? Heterogeneous Effects of a Digital Parenting Program. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 9850. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/36603 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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