Parenting programs often train parents in improving their parenting practices and parent-child relationship to reduce behavioral problems in children. However, the children’s prosocial behaviors are less examined as an intervention outcome in these programs. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Incredible Years parenting program (IYPP) for Malaysian parents of school-going children and its sustainability in improving the children’s prosocial behaviors. This randomized controlled study involved pre- and post-intervention assessments at 2 and 14 weeks. Mothers of children aged 6-12 years (n = 70) recruited through the pediatrics and the child and adolescent psychiatric clinics were randomly assigned to the parenting program or a waitlist control condition. The mothers rated their children’s prosocial behaviors using a self-administered questionnaire. The program ran two to three hours weekly for 14 weeks. Several modifications were made to the program to accommodate public health control during the pandemic. Children in the intervention group showed a notable but non-significant increase in prosocial skills. However, subsequent score decline at follow-up may suggest a lack of evidence that the program is potentially effective in improving prosocial behaviors among school children who are at risk of or already having behavioral problems.

Atypical eating behaviors displayed by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) predispose them to unhealthy weight gain. We determined the factors associated with body weight status among 261 children with ASD (3–18 years) at nine autism intervention centers. Their mothers completed a self-administered questionnaire on sociodemographic background, parenting style, parental feeding practices, parenting stress, sleep habits, eating behaviors, and autism severity. Children with older age, non-full term gestational age, high maternal perceived weight, high maternal concern about child weight, and low pressure to eat were more likely to be overweight and obese. Obesity is a major concern among children with ASD. Healthy weight management programs for parents should incorporate appropriate feeding practices and a healthy perception of body weight.

The spread of COVID-19 and its subsequent social distancing measures carried a significant psychological burden on many parents worldwide. This study was done to determine the prevalence and factors associated with psychological distress experienced by mothers of children with emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) during the lockdown period in Malaysia. An online survey using purposive sampling technique was conducted. Psychological distress was determined by DASS-21 scores. Prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among mothers of children with EBP during the pandemic in Malaysia was 36.4%, 43.6%, and 30.9%, respectively. Mothers with a total monthly income of ≤ RM 999 were 25 times more likely to have stress symptoms (OR = 25.275, 95% CI = 1.17 – 547.41) and ten times more likely to have depressive symptoms (OR = 10.289, 95% CI = 1.17 – 90.88). Mothers with lower incomes are more psychologically vulnerable to the pandemic impact.

The literature suggests that some children at increased risk of parentification, which includes children of chronically ill or substance-misusing parents and children of divorced or migrant parents. Despite the necessity for some children to assume adult roles, parentification is potentially harmful. This paper aims to: (i) investigate the parentification concept and outcomes and (ii) summarize the components that render parentification adaptive in children. Articles were retrieved from Scopus, PubMed, Dimensions AI, Google Scholar, and reference list tracking using the keywords “parentification” and “parentification AND children”. A critical review was performed with a narrative approach to synthesize the 61 included studies to determine the existing knowledge and identify research priorities within the field of parentification. The findings were reported based on the Literature Review Synthesis Process and the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA). The experience of parentification could be adaptive and empowering for children. The potential components of adaptive parentification included emotional support, supportive and positive relationships with siblings and grandparents, parents openly delegating the roles to each child, having age-appropriate roles, parental support and validation, and children’s positive appraisal and perception of the role-taking.