New parenting study aims to help kids with asthma

07 Oct 2010 - A successful parenting programme that has previously helped children with behavioural problems is being expanded to see if it can also help improve the lives of youngsters with asthma. The research, by clinical psychologists at The University of Manchester, is based on findings that over-protective or overly lenient parenting can make asthma worse. The study will provide 120 parents of children with asthma with information and guidance on how to manage bad behaviour when it happens and how to prevent problems with asthma. The research team hope to help parents avoid what they call 'parenting traps'. Lead researcher Dr Sally Clarke said: "A parenting trap is, for example, letting a child throw a tantrum in a supermarket just because they are unwell. "This can teach the child to act sick even when they are well and encourage them to use their illness to get out of things they don't want to do. The research team is using a parenting programme recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) called 'Triple P', which stands for Positive Parenting Programme.