(PS10-B43) Does Parental Executive Functioning Predict Engagement with Behavioral Parent Training?

Behavioral parent training (BPT) efficaciously reduces child behavioral concerns when delivered briefly (e.g., 6-8 sessions) and through several formats (e.g., individual, group; Kaminski & Claussen, 2017; Axelrad, et al., 2009). BPT also improves parenting efficacy, reduces ineffective parenting practices, and reduces parenting stress (Lundahl, et al., 2006). However, BPT has significant problems with treatment engagement as more than 50% of families either do not enroll or drop out prematurely (Reyno & McGrath, 2006; van den Hoofdaker et al., 2010; Chacko et al., 2016). Parental characteristics likely play a significant role in the efficacy of BPT since the treatment depends on parents engaging and then applying recommend responses at home. A recent theoretical framework – the emotion and cognitive-control in parenting (ECP) framework – highlights that executive functioning (EF) strongly influences parenting and potentially accounts for poor response to BPT (Crandall et al., 2015). One study found evidence that parental EF predicted outcomes of BPT provided to a sample of 27 caregivers of 8-12 year olds. Limited research has investigated whether parent EF predicts engagement to BPT provided for caregivers of younger children (i.e., ages 3-7 year olds).

The current submission will present on data collected from an open-label, single center trail investigating whether parental EF predicts engagement in a brief, group-based version of BPT delivered through telehealth at a large children’s hospital. Parental EF will be measured from varying sources, including self-report and informant-report (i.e., BRIEF-A; Roth et al, 2005). EF will be assessed before caregivers attend the first session. Two separate versions of the BPT group are offered via telehealth as a part of standard of care within an outpatient clinic at a large children’s hospital. The group includes six, one-hour sessions with each session designed to (a) facilitate support among caregivers and (b) learn and practice supportive parenting practices. Caregivers of 3-7 year olds showing challenging behaviors enroll in BPG on a semi-rolling basis (i.e., entry occurs every 3 weeks) to increase accessibility and reduce time spent waiting to access services. Parents with poorer EF are anticipated to (1) have lower attendance on the first session, (2) attend fewer sessions, and (3) report less adherence to applying recommended strategies from BPT. The project has been approved by the IRB. Approximately 8 new caregivers join the group every 3 weeks. The group has 10 opportunities for enrollment (i.e., anticipating around ~80 possible participants) between this submission and ABCT. Thus, we anticipate it will be feasible to recruit 30 parent-child dyads from those enrolled in the BPT program by the time of ABCT in November 2022.