Parental perceptions of technology and technology-focused parenting: Associations with youth screen time

In the present study we propose a model linking parental perceptions of technology to technology-related parenting strategies to youth screen time, and, finally, to internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. Participants were 615 parents drawn from three community samples of families with children across three developmental stages: young childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. The model was tested at each stage with the strongest support emerging in the young childhood sample. One component of parental perceptions of technology, perceived efficacy, was related to technology-related parenting strategies across developmental stages. However, the association of these strategies to child screen time and, in turn, problem behaviors, diminished as children increased in age. Implications for intervention are considered

Behavioral parenting interventions for child disruptive behaviors and anxiety: What's different and what's the same

This paper reviews the role of parents in behavioral interventions with children’s disruptive and anxiety problems. The evolution of interventions for these two types of problems differs, as has the role of parents in these interventions. In contrast to the central role of parents in the conceptualization and treatment of disruptive behaviors, parents have played a more varied and less prominent role in the conceptualization and treatment of children’s anxiety. Furthermore, the literature involving parents in the treatment of children’s anxiety indicates these interventions are more efficacious than control groups but not more efficacious than intervening with the child alone. Some limited evidence emerges for parenting as a mediator in the treatment of disruptive behaviors, but not of anxiety, where the role of parenting has rarely been measured. Implications for conceptualizing the role of parents in intervention programs for youth are discussed and directions for future research are delineated (e.g., collecting long term follow-up data, examine moderators of treatment response, develop programs for comorbid diagnoses)

Which type of parent training works best for preschoolers with comorbid ADHD and ODD? A secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial comparing generic and specialized programs

The present study examined whether the presence of comorbid ODD differentially moderated the outcome of two Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) programs in a sample of preschoolers with ADHD: One designed specifically for ADHD (NFPP: New Forest Parenting Programme) and one designed primarily for ODD (HNC: Helping the Noncompliant Child). In a secondary analysis, 130 parents and their 3-4 year-old children diagnosed with ADHD were assigned to one of the two programs. 44.6 % of the children also met criteria for ODD. Significant interactions between treatment conditions (NFPP vs. HNC) and child ODD diagnosis (presence vs. absence) indicated that based on some parent and teacher reports, HNC was more effective with disruptive behaviors than NFPP but only when children had a comorbid diagnosis. Further, based on teacher report, NFPP was more effective with these behaviors when children had a diagnosis of only ADHD whereas HNC was equally effective across ADHD only and comorbid ODD diagnoses. Comorbidity profile did not interact with treatment program when parent or teacher reported ADHD symptoms served as the outcome. Implications for clinical interventions are discussed and directions for future work are provided

Mindfulness in Parenting and Coparenting

Mindfulness has been established as a critical psychosocial variable for the well-being of individuals; however, less is understood regarding the role of mindfulness within the family context of parents, coparents, and children. This study tested a model examining the process by which parent dispositional mindfulness relates to parenting and coparenting relationship quality through mindful parenting and coparenting. Participants were 485 parents (59.2% mothers) from three community samples of families with youth across three developmental stages: young childhood (3 – 7 yrs.; n = 164), middle childhood (8 – 12 yrs.; n = 161), and adolescence (13 – 17 yrs.; n = 160). Path analysis using maximum likelihood estimation was employed to test primary hypotheses. The proposed model demonstrated excellent fit. Findings across all three youth development stages indicated both direct effects or parent dispositional mindfulness, as well as indirect effects through mindful parenting and mindful coparenting, with parenting and coparenting relationship quality. Implications for intervention and prevention efforts are discussed

Making HIV Prevention Programming Count: Identifying Predictors of Success in a Parent-Based HIV Prevention Program for Youth

Predictors of change in the number of sexual topics parents discussed and responsiveness during sex communication with their preadolescent after participating in a five-session sexual risk reduction intervention for parents were examined. Data were from 339 African American parents of preadolescents enrolled in the intervention arm of a randomized-controlled trial of the Parents’ Matter! Program (PMP). Four categories of predictors of success were examined: time and resource constraints, personal characteristics, the parent-child relationship, and parent perceptions of child readiness for sex communication. There were only sporadic associations between success and time and resource constraints for either outcome. Parent perception of child readiness for sex communication was positively associated with discussions of sex topics (b = 1.11, confidence interval [CI]: 0.24-1.97) and parental responsiveness (b = .68, CI: 0.22-1.15). Although parents face time and resource constraints, most attended at least four sessions, and demographics such as income had limited effects on program success

Parenting and child externalizing behaviors: Are the associations specific or diffuse?

Building upon the link between inadequate parenting and child noncompliance, aggression, and oppositionality, behavioral parent training has been identified as a well-established treatment for externalizing problems in children. Much less empirical attention has been devoted to examining whether inadequate parenting and, in turn, behavioral parent training programs, have specific effects on child externalizing problems or more diffuse effects on both internalizing and externalizing problems. As an initial attempt to examine the specificity of parenting and childhood externalizing problems, this review examines prior research on the association of three parenting behaviors (parental warmth, hostility, and control) with child externalizing versus internalizing problems. Notably, findings revealed relatively little evidence for the specificity of parenting and child externalizing behaviors in the general parenting literature or in the family context of parent depression. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed

The role of coparents in african american single-mother families: The indirect effect of coparent identity on youth psychosocial adjustment.

The majority (67%) of African American youth live in single-parent households, a shift in the family structure that has been linked to increased risk for both internalizing and externalizing problems behaviors. Although the majority of single mothers endorse the assistance of another adult or family member in childrearing, relatively little is known about who is engaged in this non-marital coparenting role (i.e., grandmother, father/social father, aunt, and female family friend) and how it relates to coparenting quality, maternal parenting, and youth psychosocial outcomes (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems). This question, which is critical to the advancement of family-focused programming for youth in these families, is addressed in this study. The participants examined in the current study were 159 African American single-mother child dyads. Adolescents' maternal grandmothers constituted the largest proportion of coparents in the sample (37.2%), followed by the mothers' female family friends (22.5%), adolescents' maternal aunts (12.7%), and adolescents' fathers/social fathers (11%). Differences emerged among groups of coparents in support and conflict with the mother. Specifically, grandmothers, aunts, and female family friends provided significantly more instrumental support than fathers. Furthermore, grandmothers and fathers had more conflict with the mother, both generally and specifically in front of the child, than aunts or female family friends. In turn, these differences were associated directly and indirectly through maternal parenting with internalizing and externalizing problems. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed

Helping the Noncompliant Child: An Assessment of Program Costs and Cost-Effectiveness

Disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) in children can lead to delinquency in adolescence and antisocial behavior in adulthood. Several evidence-based behavioral parent training (BPT) programs have been created to treat early onset DBD. This paper focuses on one such program, Helping the Noncompliant Child (HNC), and provides detailed cost estimates from a recently completed pilot study for the HNC program. The study also assesses the average cost-effectiveness of the HNC program by combining program cost estimates with data on improvements in child participants’ disruptive behavior. The cost and effectiveness estimates are based on implementation of HNC with low-income families. Investigators developed a Microsoft Excel-based costing instrument to collect data from therapists on their time spent delivering the HNC program. The instrument was designed using an activity-based costing approach, where each therapist reported program time by family, by date, and for each skill that the family was working to master. Combining labor and non-labor costs, it is estimated that delivering the HNC program costs an average of $501 per family from a payer perspective. It also costs an average of$13 to improve the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory intensity score by 1 point for children whose families participated in the HNC pilot program. The cost of delivering the HNC program appears to compare favorably with the costs of similar BPT programs. These cost estimates are the first to be collected systematically and prospectively for HNC. Program managers may use these estimates to plan for the resources needed to fully implement HNC

Harnessing innovative technologies to advance children's mental health: Behavioral parent training as an example

Disruptive behaviors of childhood are among the most common reasons for referral of children to mental health professionals. Behavioral parent training (BPT) is the most efficacious intervention for these problem behaviors, yet BPT is substantially underutilized beyond university research and clinic settings. With the aim of addressing this research-to-practice gap, this article highlights the considerable, but largely unrealized, potential for technology to overcome the two most pressing challenges hindering the diffusion of BPT: (1). The dearth of BPT training and supervision opportunities for therapists who work with families of children with disruptive behaviors and; (2). The failure to engage and retain families in BPT services when services are available. To this end, this review presents a theoretical framework to guide technological innovations in BPT and highlights examples of how technology is currently being harnessed to overcome these challenges. This review also discusses recommendations for using technology as a delivery vehicle to further advance the field of BPT and the potential implications of technological innovations in BPT for other areas of children’s mental health are discussed

Caregiver Use of the Core Components of Technology-Enhanced Helping the Noncompliant Child: A Case Series Analysis of Low-Income Families

Children from low-income families are more likely to develop early-onset disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) compared to their higher income counterparts. Low-income families of children with early-onset DBDs, however, are less likely to engage in the standard-of-care treatment, behavioral parent training (BPT), than families from other sociodemographic groups. Preliminary between-group findings suggested technology-enhanced BPT was associated with increased engagement and boosted treatment outcomes for low-income families relative to standard BPT. The current study used a case series design to take this research a step further by examining whether there was variability in use of, and reactions to, the smartphone enhancements within technology-enhanced BPT and the extent to which this variability paralleled treatment outcome. Findings provide a window into the uptake and use of technology-enhanced service delivery methods among low-income families, with implications for the broader field of children’s mental health