effect of training positive parenting program on motherchild relationship among mothers of children with externalizing disorders

Background: externalizing disorders affect the pediatric psychosocial development and mother-child relationship. the quality of mother-child relationship has a pivotal role in formation of the social personality, cognitive function, and mental health of a child. aim: therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of training positive parenting program (triple p) on improvement of the mother-child relationship in mothers of children with externalizing disorders. method: this randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 60 mothers of children with externalizing disorders, who referred to the children and adolescent psychiatric clinic of ibn-e-sina hospital and community mental health centers (cmhc) affiliated to mashhad university of medical sciences in 2015. for the intervention group, triple p was implemented as eight training sessions of 120 minutes during two months. the mother-child relationship was evaluated by mother- child relationship evaluation questionnaire. all the data were analyzed by spss using paired t-test, wilcoxon test, and analysis of covariance. results: in the pre-intervention phase, the two groups were homogeneous in terms of mother-child relationship aspects, including overprotection, radical underestimation, and child rejection. immediately post-intervention, the mean scores of all mother-child relationship dimensions in the intervention group were significantly higher than the control group (p<0.05). concerning the acceptance item, the analysis of covariance test by eliminating the effect of pre-intervention score showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups after intervention (p<0.001). implications for practice: the triple p training can lead in improved mother-child relationship in mothers of children with externalizing disorders. consequently, this approach is recommended to promote the mother-child relationship.