A Review of the Research on Pinkston’s Single-Parent Group Training Program

Purpose: The purpose of this review is to chronicle the extent to which the Pinkston and colleagues model is utilized in single-parent training group (SPG) interventions in the home environment for children aged 5 to 12 or preadolescent school-aged children. Methods: Several databases were searched electronically and independent full reviews were conducted with N = 7 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Results: We identified the outcome measures of relevant studies of SPG interventions across five content themes: (1) rate of positive parent attention, (2) change in rate of negative parent attention, (3) change in rate of child compliance, (4) change in rate of child chore completion, and (5) change in nature of parent–child dyad. A review of the research provided empirical evidence that SPG interventions are effective in increasing positive parent–child social interactions, child compliance, and differential attention that correlates to the modification of problematic and oppositional child behaviors. Conclusions: The studies herein provide guidance and suggestions for future interventions utilizing SPG approaches.