A technical report accompanying the Academy’s policy and published in the journal Pediatrics says doctors could alleviate the effects of poverty by helping parents promote resilience in their young children so they could adapt to adversity and be buffered against the effects of stress.

The report highlights some of the benefits Triple P and other quality evidence-based programs provide, such as promoting responsive parenting and addressing common behavioral and developmental concerns.

Some of the development concerns linked to poverty include low birthweight, negative effects on early brain development through toxic stress, delayed growth and development, adolescent pregnancy and chronic conditions such as asthma.

Later in life, poverty may lead to hypertension, depression and increased substance abuse.

In Australia, Triple P researchers are already exploring how parenting programs can help support poverty reduction policies.

The Parenting and Family Support Centre at the University of Queensland (the research base of the Triple P program) is part of a new population trial focusing on 28 of the most disadvantaged communities in the country.  The larger study is looking at ways of breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

With Triple P already used in 25 countries around the world, previous and ongoing research in disadvantaged communities includes work with families in the US, Panama, Africa, and with Indigenous or First Nations communities in countries such as Canada and Australia. 

Read more about American Academy of Pediatrics report  and read Triple P founder Professor Matt Sanders' reaction to the report on the UQ News website.