Digital Social Support and Child Safety: Evaluating Virtual Parenting Education as a Lifestyle Intervention for Preventing Violence Against Children

Background and objective: Violence against children remains a major global public health concern, with parental attitudes playing a critical role in the emergence and perpetuation of abusive behaviors. Parenting education programs are designed to improve parental knowledge, attitudes, and caregiving practices. During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual educational approaches emerged as a feasible alternative to in-person interventions. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual parenting education program on mothers’ attitudes toward violence against children.
Materials and Methods: This analytical interventional study was conducted among mothers referring to Sabzevar health centers for child-related concerns. A total of 58 mothers were initially recruited through simple random sampling and allocated to intervention and control groups; however, 48 participants (27 in the intervention group and 31 in the control group) completed the study. Data were collected using the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI), a demographic questionnaire, and a researcher-designed self-report questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software. Paired and independent t-tests were used to compare within-group and between-group changes at a 95% confidence level.
Results: The intervention, demonstrated a significant increase in mean attitude scores compared with baseline (P = 0.001). post-intervention comparisons revealed significant differences between the intervention and control groups in overall attitude scores and subscale (P = 0.001). However, the increase in behavioral scores was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Virtual group parenting education significantly improved mothers’ attitudes toward violence against children and may serve as an effective alternative to face-to-face education, particularly during public health emergencies.