The efficacy of parenting interventions for forced migrant families on child internalizing and externalizing symptoms, parental self-efficacy, and parental competence: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Forced migration has reached unprecedented levels worldwide. Involuntarily migration creates stressors for families that require systematic action at a societal level. Our premise is that parenting programmes have an untapped potential to enhance psychosocial health among parents and children. The aim of this study, therefore, was to review existing studies to evaluate the efficacy of preventive parenting programmes for parents who were refugees, asylum seekers or internally displaced. We included 20 publications from 3 electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid PsycINFO and Web of Science Core Collection): 16 on parenting interventions (13 original trials, <i>N</i> = 1191) and 4 on combined interventions (parents and youth, <i>N</i> = 1284). We compared a range of outcomes including child internalizing and externalizing symptoms, as well as parental competence (positive/negative parenting), self-efficacy, well-being and mental health/psychological distress. Between-group analyses indicated less externalizing behaviour (Hedge's <i>g</i> = 0.43, <i>p</i> < 0.05, k = 2) at post measurement for parents participating in the interventions, compared with those in the control conditions, as well as enhanced positive parenting strategies (<i>g</i> = 0.89, <i>p</i> < .01, k = 2), self-efficacy (<i>g</i> = 1.94, <i>p</i> < .001, k = 2) and parental psychological distress (<i>g</i> = 0.67, <i>p</i> < .05, k = 4). Within-group analyses of pre and post measurements supported that parents participating in the interventions reported improvements over time in all primary outcomes: parent-rated child internalizing and externalizing behaviours, negative and positive parenting, self-efficacy and the secondary outcome psychological distress. Analyses of combined studies suggested a small increase in positive parenting strategies (<i>g</i> = 0.17, <i>p</i> < .05, k = 2). Although our sample of reviewed studies was relatively small, and the study outcomes varied considerably, the results indicate that parenting programmes might be an underutilized resource to promote health among forcibly displaced families.Systematic review registration: PROSPERO (CRD42022330521).