Meldrum, Jill (2023) Applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour to Non-user Parents’ Early Engagement with Parenting Programs. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Evidence-based parenting programs are effective in improving parenting skills and reducing a child’s problematic behaviour; however, parents’ low participation rates limit effectiveness, particularly during early stages of these programs. Empirical evidence supports the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), a framework to understand parents’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control as potential predictors of their intention to participate and initial engagement (i.e., recruitment, enrolment, and first attendance) in parenting programs. Using archival data from the Experiences of Parenting survey, this study investigated the TPB constructs as predictors of parents' intention to participate and initial engagement in a sub-sample of parents who had not previously participated in a program, i.e., non-user parents. Participants were 770 non-user parents of children 2 to 12-years-old. Measures included demographics, TPB constructs, intention to participate, and initial engagement. Separate logistic regressions were conducted to test the predictability of TPB constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control) on parents’ intention to participate and initial engagement. Only the model for enrolment was significant, indicating that attitudes and subjective norms significantly predicted non-user parents’ enrolment; however, perceived behavioural control was non-significant. Models for intention to participate and recruitment did not fit the data, whereas first attendance model was nonsignificant, possibly due to underpowered sample. This study provided further evidence about the role of attitudes and subjective norms as predictors of non-users’ enrolment, and raised further questions to inform future theory-driven research to promote non-user parents’ early engagement with these programs.
|
Statistics for this ePrint Item |
| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Wellbeing (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Carolina Gonzalez |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 22 May 2025 03:22 |
| Last Modified: | 22 May 2025 03:22 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | parents, intention, initial engagement, parenting programs, theory of planned behaviour |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52576 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Archive Repository Staff Only |
