Tuning in to Kids: Comparing three methods of delivery of a program to parents of children with behaviour difficulties
Tuning in to Kids: Comparing three methods of delivery of an emotion-focused parenting program for parents of 3-10 year old children with behaviour problem aimed at improving children’s behaviour and emotional functioning
University of Melbourne
400 participants
Mar 1, 2018
Interventional
Conditions
Summary
Tuning in to Kids is an evidence based program teaching parents skills in emotion coaching where they assist their child to learn about and manage their emotions. Parents also learn to develop their own skills with regulating their emotions. This trial will test out different forms of the program for parents of children with challenging behaviours relative to control participants. A) Aims and Objectives This study will evaluate the effectiveness of three delivery methods (one-to-one, group, online) of an emotion-focused parenting program, Tuning in to Kids (TIK) compared to control with parents of 3-10 year-old children with behaviour problems. There three aims include: • Examine whether the different interventions (relative to control) improve parenting and children’s emotional, social and behavioural functioning. • To examine for whom the program works (moderators) of program outcomes in order to establish which families do best with which intervention delivery method. • To establish the evidence for three different methods of TIK delivery and making this knowledge available to professionals working with families of children with behaviour problems. B) Key Question(s) Key questions are whether the three different versions of TIK are effective in comparison to control and whether any one program is more effective. Specific hypotheses are that at 6-month follow-up, participants in the three intervention conditions (but not the control) will have: • Improved parenting (emotion socialisation, parental sensitivity, warmth, hostility/criticism), via parent self-report and direct observation of parent-child interaction; • Improved parent functioning (emotion regulation and mental health) on parent self-report; • Improved child emotional knowledge and reduced behaviour problems, measured via direct assessment and parent- and teacher-report. C) Research Design The study will use a randomised controlled design with 400 parents of 3-10 year-old children with behaviour problems, randomised into four conditions (one-to-one, group, online delivery, and waitlist control). Measurement will be taken before, immediately after and 6 months after parents participate in a parenting program. Measures include parent and teacher report plus assessment of the child and observation of the parent and child. The Tuning in to Kids program will teach parents how to emotion coach their children in order to improve children's emotional understanding and regulation. D) Analyses and Outcomes Analyses will be conducted with the data to see for whom the program works and on which factors there are changes. Findings will be reported in peer review journals and at conferences. A summary of findings will also be given to all participants.
Eligibility
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Interventions
Participants in this study will be receiving one of three alternative modes of an evidence-based parenting program developed for parents of children with emerging conduct/behavioral problems and compared to wait list control participants, Tuning in to Kids (TIK). TIK is a parenting program that teaches parents how to respond to their child's emotions that build's the child's emotional competence. TIK teaches parents to be aware of and regulation their own emotions, as well as help their children learn to understand and manage their emotions. Development of these skills in parents and children are anticipated to improve the social, emotional and behavioural functioning of children and improve parental mental health. TIK is delivered in different modes including in a group, one to one with a therapist, or in an online program. The group/1:1 delivery is in eight sessions, with each session focusing on a different aspect of parenting through psychoeducation, role plays, an exploration of parents own family of origin, and an exploration of how parents typically respond to their child's emotions and the outcomes associated with this. One trained facilitator will conduct eight sessions of TIK (for the group and 1:1 conditions). The online version will be self-directed and delivered in ten different modules containing psychoeducation, demonstration role plays and exercises for parents to complete. Materials: TIK uses a structured session manual for the facilitator/therapist to deliver all information relevant to the program that includes worksheets for parents to use both during the program and at home. Delivery: The interventions will be delivered by facilitators trained in the TIK program. All facilitators will have a minimum of a Bachelors degree majoring in Psychology, and will have either completed or be in the process of completing post-gradate studies in Psychology (either a Masters, PhD, or Clinical Doctorate). The online program has been made by the program developers and is delivered in 10 chapters explaining the main ideas and providing exercises for parents to use. Arm 1: Parents will participate in a structured manualised group version of TIK (consisting of 8-10 parents). Parents will attend eight, 2-hour weekly sessions. Arm 2: Parents will participate in 8 X 1 hour weekly sessions of a structured manualised one to one delivery version of TIK. Arm 3: Parents will participate in an online version of TIK consisting of 10 modules of approximately 15 minutes each and a total of 2 and 1/2 hours of viewing over up to 8 weeks. Exercises are provided for parents to try out the skills with their children. Parents are encouraged to watch 1-2 modules in a single sitting on a weekly basis but progress will be at the discretion of the participant. in order to monitor program adherence, website analytics will be used to capture data on program use both in terms of when modules were watched and whether they were completed. Two follow-up phone calls will be administered, the first 2 weeks after session 1 is watched, and the second on program completion or at 4 weeks after time 1. Arm 4: Parents will be in a waitlist control condition
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ACTRN12618000310268