Parent Training to Promote Early Identification and Treatment of Childhood Behavioral Disorders

Tufts University

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 3

Conditions: Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity

Treatments: Behavioral: Incredible Years Program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT00402857

R01MH076244 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

DSIR CT-C

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a parent training program in improving parenting skills and reducing behavioral symptoms in young children who are at risk for developing childhood behavior disorders.

Full description

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) are common childhood behavior disorders. Children with ADHD experience hyperactivity, distractibility, poor concentration, and impulsivity. If left untreated, ADHD can continue into adulthood, and can cause problems in family, social, and work environments. Children with ODD exhibit an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures. Symptoms of ODD, including frequent temper tantrums, anger, resentment, and vindictiveness, may interfere with a child's everyday functioning. The Incredible Years parent training program has been shown to be effective in multiple settings at training parents to manage their child's behavior. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of the Incredible Years training program within a pediatric office setting at improving parenting skills and reducing behavioral symptoms in young children who are at risk for developing childhood behavior disorders.

Participants in this open-label study will be randomly assigned to the Incredible Years training program or a waitlist condition, in which they will begin the program after a 1-year waiting period. Parent training sessions will take place once per week for 10 weeks, and will last approximately 2 hours each. Sessions will focus on teaching positive parenting skills, such as appropriate play and use of praise and rewards, as well as limit-setting techniques, such as ignoring, allowing children to experience the natural consequences of their actions, and assigning time-outs. Self-report assessments and phone interviews will be used to assess outcomes. Additionally, follow-up visits will occur immediately post-intervention and 6 and 12 months post-intervention. Children will attend one visit before the program begins, as well as the follow-ups held immediately post-intervention and 12 months post-intervention. These visits will include videotaped observations of children and their primary caregivers.

Enrollment: 345 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 22 to 38 months old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Parent or primary caregiver of a child who fits the following criteria:

• Receives a positive result on behavioral screening

Exclusion criteria

Parent or primary caregiver of a child who fits the following criteria:

• Diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder or global developmental delay

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

345 participants in 2 patient groups

1

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive the Incredible Years Program, a group parenting intervention

Treatment:

Behavioral: Incredible Years Program

2

Other group

Description:

Participants assigned to the waitlist condition will receive the Incredible Years Program after a 1-year waiting period

Treatment:

Behavioral: Incredible Years Program