Universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth: a meta-review of systematic reviews
Background Preventive interventions in the form of parenting support can reduce the risk of mental disorders in children. Summarising the effectiveness of parenting interventions across different levels of prevention can inform the prioritisation of the intervention.Objectives We conducted a meta-re...
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| Format: | Article |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMJ Mental Health |
| Online Access: | https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301613.full |
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| author | Evelyn C Law Michael J Meaney Edward Chesney Meredith X Han Valerie Ng Joanna Bright Yashna K Sagar Ellie Baker |
| author_facet | Evelyn C Law Michael J Meaney Edward Chesney Meredith X Han Valerie Ng Joanna Bright Yashna K Sagar Ellie Baker |
| author_sort | Evelyn C Law |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Preventive interventions in the form of parenting support can reduce the risk of mental disorders in children. Summarising the effectiveness of parenting interventions across different levels of prevention can inform the prioritisation of the intervention.Objectives We conducted a meta-review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent adverse mental health outcomes in youth.Study selection and analysis PubMed, Ovid, Embase and PsycNet were searched. Systematic reviews consisting of randomised controlled trials of preventative parenting interventions were included. We provided a narrative synthesis of the results and assessed the quantity and quality of evidence for each level of prevention (ie, universal, selective, indicated) and mental health outcome.Findings We identified 32 systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which included 354 randomised controlled trials, consisting of over 74 558 children and adolescents. Universal parenting interventions were effective in delaying the initiation of alcohol and cannabis use, but did not have consistent findings in preventing disruptive behaviour and mood disorders. Selective interventions were predominantly beneficial for disruptive behavioural problems across a variety of risk factors. Indicated interventions found substantial and consistent evidence for reducing problems in children with behavioural problems. Caution is warranted when interpreting findings, as the overall confidence rating of most reviews was very low, especially in the reporting of study selection and justifying exclusions in the AMSTAR-2.Conclusions Our findings highlight the need for robust evidence synthesis. Despite the limitations of the current evidence base, parenting interventions hold promise for preventing mental health disorders. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a91813b7d97f47f093ee9cd0ffb7657d |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2755-9734 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-a91813b7d97f47f093ee9cd0ffb7657d2025-07-05T02:55:10ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Mental Health2755-97342025-07-0128110.1136/bmjment-2025-301613Universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth: a meta-review of systematic reviewsEvelyn C Law0Michael J Meaney1Edward Chesney2Meredith X Han3Valerie Ng4Joanna Bright5Yashna K Sagar6Ellie Baker7Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Addictions, King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UKSocial, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UKInstitute for Human Development and Potential, Agency for Science Technology and Research, SingaporeSocial, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, UKDepartment of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, SingaporeSouth London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UKBackground Preventive interventions in the form of parenting support can reduce the risk of mental disorders in children. Summarising the effectiveness of parenting interventions across different levels of prevention can inform the prioritisation of the intervention.Objectives We conducted a meta-review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent adverse mental health outcomes in youth.Study selection and analysis PubMed, Ovid, Embase and PsycNet were searched. Systematic reviews consisting of randomised controlled trials of preventative parenting interventions were included. We provided a narrative synthesis of the results and assessed the quantity and quality of evidence for each level of prevention (ie, universal, selective, indicated) and mental health outcome.Findings We identified 32 systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which included 354 randomised controlled trials, consisting of over 74 558 children and adolescents. Universal parenting interventions were effective in delaying the initiation of alcohol and cannabis use, but did not have consistent findings in preventing disruptive behaviour and mood disorders. Selective interventions were predominantly beneficial for disruptive behavioural problems across a variety of risk factors. Indicated interventions found substantial and consistent evidence for reducing problems in children with behavioural problems. Caution is warranted when interpreting findings, as the overall confidence rating of most reviews was very low, especially in the reporting of study selection and justifying exclusions in the AMSTAR-2.Conclusions Our findings highlight the need for robust evidence synthesis. Despite the limitations of the current evidence base, parenting interventions hold promise for preventing mental health disorders.https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301613.full |
| spellingShingle | Evelyn C Law Michael J Meaney Edward Chesney Meredith X Han Valerie Ng Joanna Bright Yashna K Sagar Ellie Baker Universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth: a meta-review of systematic reviews BMJ Mental Health |
| title | Universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth: a meta-review of systematic reviews |
| title_full | Universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth: a meta-review of systematic reviews |
| title_fullStr | Universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth: a meta-review of systematic reviews |
| title_full_unstemmed | Universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth: a meta-review of systematic reviews |
| title_short | Universal, selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth: a meta-review of systematic reviews |
| title_sort | universal selective and indicated parenting interventions to prevent the development of adverse mental health outcomes in youth a meta review of systematic reviews |
| url | https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301613.full |
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