Table 1 The Guidelines and the corresponding subsections of the parenting scale and module components

You can reduce your child’s risk of developing depression and clinical anxiety

NA. Not included in parenting scale or feedback report.

Not included in the modules

Psychoeducation about the role of parents in the prevention of depression and anxiety in primary school-aged children.

Endorsed by experts.

Establish and maintain a good relationship with your child

Relationship with your child

Topic 1: Show affection and acceptance

Helps parents show their children physical affection and acceptance through words and actions.

Sound evidence that parental warmth is associated with less internalizing symptoms. Emerging evidence that parental warmth is associated with fewer depression symptoms.

Topic 4: Make time to talk

Helps parents develop a supportive relationship with their child by learning effective ways to talk and listen to their child.

Be involved and support increasing autonomy

Involvement in your child’s life

Topic 2: Be involved

Helps parents stay involved and interested in their child’s life.

Emerging evidence that parent’s knowledge regarding their child′s activities, whereabouts and friends (parental monitoring) is associated with less anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Topic 3: Encourage autonomy

Helps parents encourage increasing age-appropriate autonomy in their child’s life.

Sound research evidence that over-involvement and autonomy granting are risk and protective factors, respectively, for depression; endorsed by experts.

Encourage supportive relationships

Child’s relationships with others

Topic 9: Topic Encourage supportive relationships

Provides strategies for parents to support their child’s social skills development.

Emerging evidence that parental encouragement of sociability is associated with less child anxiety; endorsed by experts.

Establish family rules and consequences

Rules and consequences for your child

Topic 6: Establish family rules and consequences

Highlights the importance of consistent and clear boundaries for child’s behaviours, and provides specific strategies to establish these.

Emerging evidence of the association between inconsistent discipline and internalizing symptoms; endorsed by experts.

Encourage good health habits

Health habits

Topic 5: Encourage healthy habits

Provides strategies to help parents encourage good health habits in their child, including a healthy diet, physical activity, good sleep habits, and appropriate screen time.

Endorsed by experts

Minimise conflict in the home

Home environment

Topic 10: Manage conflict in the home

Addresses the need for adaptive conflict management between parents, and between parent and child, and provides specific strategies to do these.

Evidence that inter-parental conflict and aversiveness (including parent-child conflict) are risk factors for depression (sound evidence) and anxiety (emerging evidence); endorsed by experts.

Help your child to manage emotions

Managing emotions

Topic 8: Help your child manage emotions

Helps parents understand and talk about their child’s emotions as well as provides parents strategies to help children manage strong emotions.

Emerging evidence that parents modelling anxiety is associated with anxiety symptoms in children. Endorsed by experts.

Help your child to set goals and solve problems

Setting goals and dealing with problems

Topic 7: Help set goals and solve problems

Provides strategies for parents to help their children develop good problem-solving skills.

Endorsed by experts.

Support your child when something is bothering them

Dealing with negative emotions

Topic 11: Help your child manage anxiety

Provides strategies for parents to help their children manage their everyday anxiety.

Emerging evidence that parents modelling anxiety is associated with anxiety symptoms in children. Endorsed by experts.

Help your child to manage anxiety so that it does not become a problem

Dealing with negative emotions

Topic 11: Help your child manage anxiety

Provides strategies for parents to help their children manage their everyday anxiety.

Emerging evidence that parents modelling anxiety is associated with anxiety symptoms in children. Endorsed by experts.

Encourage professional help seeking when needed

Getting help when needed

Topic 12: Seek help

Helps parents understand what depression and anxiety problems can look like in primary school- aged children and what they can do if their child is/becomes unwell.

Endorsed by experts; evidence that parents are important conduits to children seeking professional help for mental health problems.

Do not blame yourself (not included in the Guidelines and parenting scale, but included in feedback report for all parents)

NA. No module on this topic.

Aims to dispel guilt/self-blame in parents.

Endorsed by experts.