The Effect of Parenting Education Based on Self-Efficacy Theory on Preventative Behaviors of Pediculosis Infection in Female Students

Introduction: Despite recent advances in the prevention of parasitic diseases, pediculosis is still one of the most common problems in Iran. This study was designed to determine the effect of parenting education based on self-efficacy theory on preventative behaviors of Pediculosis infection in female students in Mashhad, Iran. Method: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on the parents of sixty first-grade girl students who entered the study through cluster random sampling. Parents were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The instruments used in this study were the Pediculosis Infection Preventive Behaviors Questionnaire and Scherer's General Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. The educational intervention was designed based on the theory of self-efficacy and was performed in four sessions of forty-five minutes. Questionnaires were completed before the intervention, immediately after the educational intervention, and three months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24 and chi-square, independent and paired t-tests, Mann-Whitney and repeated data analysis. Results: Before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the mean score of self-efficacy and preventive behaviors of pediculosis infection (P > 0.05), but immediately after the intervention, the mean score of self-efficacy and the score of preventive behaviors showed a significant difference from before intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that the design and implementation of educational interventions based on self-efficacy theory increased students' preventive behaviors against pediculosis.