Parents’ perception of effective components of a parenting programme for parents of adolescents in Hong Kong

Abstract

The present study investigates participating parents' perception of the effectiveness of the components of a parenting programme aimed at reducing parent-adolescent conflicts in Hong Kong. Sixty-five parents of adolescents completed a four-week parenting programme of two hours per week. They responded to a questionnaire concerning the usefulness of the components of the programme. After responding to the questionnaire, they were invited to attend a semi-structured interview to express their views on the components of the programme. The result indicates that participants found self-reflection, discussion among participants and listening to facilitators' advice to be the three most important components of the programme. They also benefited from learning communication skills and more about adolescents' development. Nevertheless, the granting of autonomy and conflict resolution skills were not totally acceptable to Chinese parents. The present study indicates culturally sensitive components of parenting programmes for Chinese in Hong Kong.