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Effect of Parenting Skills Training on Positive Parenting Practices among Parents of Adolescents in Nigeria

Abstract

Parenting during adolescence can be challenging because adolescents experience significant emotional, social, cognitive, and behavioural changes that may affect communication and relationships within the family. Parents may encounter difficulties in managing adolescent behaviour, communicating effectively, setting appropriate boundaries, providing emotional support, and responding constructively to developmental challenges. Inadequate parenting practices may contribute to family conflict, poor parent-adolescent communication, behavioural difficulties, and challenges in adolescents' social and emotional development. Parenting skills training provides an opportunity to equip parents with practical knowledge and skills for effective communication, positive discipline, emotional support, conflict resolution, problem-solving, supervision, and constructive parent-adolescent relationships. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of parenting skills training on positive parenting practices among parents of adolescents in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on Social Learning Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Family Systems Theory. Social Learning Theory explains how parents may acquire and maintain parenting behaviours through observation, modelling, reinforcement, and interaction with their children. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the roles of parenting knowledge, self-efficacy, behavioural skills, observational learning, and environmental influences in shaping parenting practices. Family Systems Theory views the family as an interconnected system in which changes in one member's behaviour and relationships may influence other members and the overall functioning of the family. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how parenting skills training may influence positive parenting practices among parents of adolescents in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise parents or primary caregivers of adolescents enrolled in selected secondary schools and communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, local government areas, communities, schools, and eligible parents. Parenting skills training will be measured using indicators such as exposure to structured training sessions, training frequency and duration, effective parent-adolescent communication, active listening, positive reinforcement, constructive discipline, appropriate boundary setting, parental monitoring, emotional support, conflict resolution, problem-solving, adolescent development education, supervision, stress management, and use of parenting resources. Positive parenting practices will be assessed using indicators such as warmth and responsiveness, effective communication, active listening, positive reinforcement, consistent and non-violent discipline, appropriate monitoring and supervision, clear expectations and boundaries, emotional support, involvement in adolescents' activities, collaborative problem-solving, constructive conflict resolution, respect for adolescents' opinions, and encouragement of healthy independence. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires and appropriately validated parenting-skills and positive-parenting practice instruments administered before and after the training intervention where a quasi-experimental design is used. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize parents' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, exposure to parenting skills training, and positive parenting practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including paired or independent sample tests, chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of parenting skills training on positive parenting practices. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that parenting skills training has a significant positive effect on positive parenting practices among parents of adolescents in Nigeria. Parents exposed to structured parenting skills training are expected to demonstrate greater use of positive parenting practices than parents without similar training or compared with their baseline practices. Training may improve parents' ability to communicate effectively with adolescents, listen actively, provide emotional support, establish appropriate boundaries, use constructive discipline, monitor adolescent activities, resolve conflicts, and encourage healthy independence. Practical demonstrations, role-playing, case scenarios, and problem-solving exercises may strengthen parents' ability to apply positive parenting strategies in everyday family situations. Conversely, cultural expectations, parental stress, financial pressures, limited time, family conflict, inadequate access to parenting resources, and deeply established disciplinary practices may limit the consistent adoption of recommended parenting approaches. The study therefore expects structured, practical, culturally appropriate, and sustained parenting skills training to contribute significantly to improved positive parenting practices among parents of adolescents in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on parenting skills training, positive parenting practices, adolescent development, family relationships, parent-adolescent communication, child and adolescent mental health, family health, health education, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, state ministries responsible for health and education, schools, parent associations, community organizations, child and family welfare agencies, psychologists, social workers, counsellors, public health practitioners, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening parenting capacity. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating parenting skills training into school and community-based family programmes, strengthening parent education, promoting non-violent discipline, improving parent-adolescent communication, expanding family counselling services, and establishing sustainable positive-parenting programmes for families across Nigeria.

Keywords: Parenting skills training, positive parenting practices, parents of adolescents, parent-adolescent communication, positive discipline, family relationships, adolescent development, parenting education, family health, Nigeria, public health.