Educational competence of parents with children participating in youth welfare measures

Objective: The study examines the influence of specific risks on parenting at the beginning of youth welfare measures. Method: Family risk factors as well as parental behaviour styles of N = 74 parents were assessed with standardized questionnaires. Results: The results were evaluated cross-sectionally with one-way factor analysis. Three groups were formed according to degree of risk factors. Families with special risks, i.e., material needs, physically ill parents, or single parents, show a significantly lower level of parenting competence. Differences in negative parenting features are not found to be under the influence of specific risks. Conclusions: Parents of children in youth welfare measures who are specifically stressed may need special training to increase their parenting skills, especially when pre-post comparisons show lower parenting quality in the group with specific risk factors at the end of an intervention.