Parent Training: Effects Beyond Problem Behavior?

Silje Hukkelberg

Introduction: Brief Parent Training (BPT) and Parent Management Training- the Oregon model (PMTO) are interventions that both are proven effective in reducing emerging/existing conduct problem behaviors in children through modifying parent practices. However, intervention studies have mainly focused on their ability to reduce conduct problems, although externalizing and internalizing problems often tend to co-exist. The present study addressed the question to what extent PMTO and BPT are able to reach beyond problem behavior, e.g., provide additional effects on social competence and depression/anxiety. Participants were two independent samples of Norwegian parents with at- risk children (age 3- 12) assigned to either the intervention or control condition (BPT: N = 216, PMTO: N = 137). Conduct problem behavior, social competence, and depression/anxiety were assessed within each context over three time points (T1 = pretest, T2 = posttest, T3 = follow-up test).

Results: Both the BPT and PMTO intervention reduced problem behaviors and increased social competence, but only BPT was able to reduce the level of depression/anxiety. Next, cross-domain models including problem behavior, social competence and depression/anxiety (from T1 to T2) showed that these constructs were significantly related within time, both in the BPT and PMTO sample. However, social competence and depression/anxiety predicted subsequent problem behavior only in the BPT sample.

Conclusions: Overall, findings revealed that BPT and PMTO show effects beyond conduct problem behaviors, and that problem behaviour, social competence, and depression/anxiety are highly related within time.

This abstract was submitted to the 2017 Society for Prevention Research Annual Meeting