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ADHD - Child

A Randomized Control Trial of a Virtually Delivered Group Parent Training for Parents of Children with ADHD During The COVID-19 Pandemic

(PS11-B38) A Randomized Control Trial of a Virtually Delivered Group Parent Training for Parents of Children with ADHD During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sunday, November 20, 2022

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM EST

Location: Westside Ballroom, 5th Floor

Author(s)

DL

Diandra Leon, B.A.

Research Assistant
Florida International University
Miami, Florida

Co-Author(s)

Jennifer Piscitello, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
JB

Jessica Brito, None

Research Assistant
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
RW

Rachel Warman, M.S.

Behavioral Consultant
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
EW

Erica Wells, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral associate
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
AA

Amy Altszuler, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
Marcela C. Ramos, M.S.

Graduate Student
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
ER

Emily Robertson, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
WP

William E. Pelham, Jr., ABPP, Ph.D.

Director, Center for Children and Families
Florida International University
Miami, Florida

Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is a widely implemented evidence-based treatment for youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and related behavioral problems (Evans et al., 2018). During the COVID-19 pandemic, BPT was rapidly scaled for remote delivery via video conferencing platforms to enhance reach and engagement among families in need (Sullivan et al., 2021). The purpose of the present study was to conduct a randomized control trial of a remotely delivered group BPT adapted from the Community Parent Education Program (Cunningham, 2013) during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Families were recruited from a Summer Treatment Program (SPT; Pelham et al., 1996, 2018), an intensive 7-week behavioral treatment program for children with ADHD, conducted in the Summer of 2021. Forty-four parents of children with a diagnosis of ADHD participated in the current study. Children ranged in age from 6 – 12 years (M = 8.67, SD = 1.47) and were primarily male (93.9%). Approximately 70% of the sample identified as Hispanic/Latinx. Parents’ educational background consisted of 6% with High School education, 15.2% with partial college, 12.1% with two-year degree, 21.2% with 4-year college degree, and 45.5% with graduate training.

Twenty-four families were randomized to receive the virtually delivered BPT during the Summer, and the remaining twenty families were randomly assigned to a wait-list control group and were offered BPT in the Fall of 2021. BPT was delivered by Ph.D. level psychologists and held once weekly in the evenings for approximately 90 minutes for the duration of the STP. To assess the impact of BPT on child behavior, six outcome measures were used in pre- and post-treatment. To evaluate changes in ADHD and related behavioral problems, parents completed the Disruptive Behavior Disorders rating scale. For related functional impairments, the Impairment Rating Scale was utilized. Additional measures of home and parent behavior included the Home Situations Questionnaire, Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, Parent Cognitive Error Questionnaire and the Knowledge of Effective Parenting Test. A subsample of participants also completed pre and post video recorded parent-child interactions. It was hypothesized that parents in both groups would report similar improvements in child ADHD symptoms and related impairment due to participation in the STP. However, it was expected that parents in the BPT group would improve in their knowledge of parent skills, cognitive errors, use of positive parenting strategies, and reported severity of problematic home situations compared to the control group.

Preliminary analyses revealed that on average, parents in the BPT group demonstrated a larger decrease in reported disruptive behavior disorder symptoms, parent cognitive errors, and severity of problematic home situations. Further analyses will include examination of individual differences and predictors related to positive response to treatment. Results of the study have important implications for the implementation of future BPT programs conducted virtually to reduce burden associated with traveling to the clinic to participate in clinical services, while adhering to public health mitigation recommendations.