Background: Research focused on the “unexpected parent” is limited. This population of parent is increasing in frequency.
Purpose: The purpose of this capstone study was to provide support to unexpected parents. The study focused on the area of establishing and maintaining routines and consistency as a means to decrease negative behavior in order to improve parental selfefficacy. With improved skills and perceived improved abilities, the aim of this study was to improve this performance of this group of parents during their participation in the occupation of parenting.
Theoretical Framework. The theory driving this research is the occupation-based model called the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement (CMOP-E).
Methods. This quantitative study analyzed the parental self-efficacy of a group of “unexpected parents” utilizing the Tool to Measure Parenting Self Efficacy (TOPSE). Self-efficacy was measured before and after the implementation of a routines-based parenting group. Seven participants met the inclusion criteria and participated in the fourweek group. The objective of this study was to determine if participation in a routinesbased parenting education group would increase parental self-efficacy in a group of “unexpected parents”.
Results. Six out of seven participants increased in parental self-efficacy scores from pretest to post-test. A paired sample t-test analysis compared mean scores from pre-test to post-test and found a p-value = 0.009.
Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, participation in a routines-based parenting group increases parental self-efficacy of “unexpected parents” as measured by the TOPSE. The findings of this study suggest that an occupational therapist led, routines-based parenting group incorporating peer support, activities, and education can lead to increased perceived self-efficacy among a group of “unexpected parents”
