Peer-reviewed article
Can a programme to support parents reduce both violence against women and violence against children? A pre-post pilot test in Zimbabwe
Natalie Davidson, Catherine L. Ward ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This paper reports a small pilot of the Co-parenting Sinovuyo Caring Families Programme for Parents and Teens in rural Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The programme adapts the Parenting for Lifelong Health Teen programme to focus more on preventing violence against women and on involving fathers. Fifty families were assessed before and after the programme. Reports of physical partner violence, harsh parenting and teen behaviour problems fell, and positive parenting and equitable gender attitudes rose. Some outcomes, such as emotional partner violence, did not change significantly. The authors describe the programme as promising.
Key points
- Pilot with 50 families in rural Manicaland, Zimbabwe.
- Significant reductions in reported physical intimate partner violence, co-parenting struggles, harsh parenting, parenting stress and teen behaviour problems.
- No significant change in emotional intimate partner violence, teen-reported intimate partner violence, or attitudes to harsh punishment of children.
- Significant increases in positive parenting and equitable gender attitudes.
- Interviews and focus groups pointed to better relationships, families doing things together and less conflict at home.
Limitations
The pilot was small (50 families) and had no comparison group, so changes cannot be confidently attributed to the programme. The abstract does not describe follow-up beyond the endline or how outcomes were measured beyond self-report.
Abstract
Introduction: Violence against women (VAW) and violence against children (VAC) interconnect in a variety of important ways. Parenting programmes may offer promise for preventing both forms of violence, through supporting co-parenting as an avenue for reducing inter-parental conflict, and for engaging men without stigma. Method: This paper presents results from a pilot study with 50 families of the new Co-parenting Sinovuyo Caring Families Programme for Parents and Teens, which took place in rural Manicaland, Zimbabwe. It is a version of the Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) Teen programme, adapted to include a more explicit focus on preventing VAW and the engagement of fathers for the Zimbabwean context. A mixed methods embedded intervention design was used to assess changes in VAW and VAC from baseline to endline. Qualitative data included discussions with participant advisory boards before the pilot, individual interviews with participants at the endline, and a focus group discussion with all parenting group facilitators at the endline. Quantitative data included assessments at the endline and baseline with the primary outcome of intimate partner violence (IPV). Results: This programme led to significant reductions in reported physical IPV, co-parenting struggles, harsh parenting, parenting stress, and teen behaviour problems, but not in emotional IPV, teen-reported IPV, or attitudes to harsh punishment of children. There were significant increases in positive parenting and equitable gender attitudes. These quantitative findings are supported by the qualitative findings with participants and facilitators highlighting improved relationships between themselves and their community, families doing things together and less conflict in the home. Conclusion: This programme is promising for the prevention of VAW and VAC simultaneously.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Co-parenting Sinovuyo Caring Families Programme for Parents and Teens, a version of Parenting for Lifelong Health Teen adapted to focus on preventing violence against women and engaging fathers
- Population
- 50 families (parents and teens) in rural Manicaland, Zimbabwe
Key finding
Significant reductions in reported physical intimate partner violence, co-parenting struggles, harsh parenting, parenting stress and teen behaviour problems
Davidson et al. · Crossref · 6 Jul 2026