Effectiveness of psychosocial intervention for internalizing behavior problems among children of parents with alcohol dependence: Randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BACKGROUND Parental drinking has a direct bearing on children. Behavioral problems such as anxiety and depression are common problems among children whose parents drink heavily. Psychosocial interventions have shown promising results for anxiety and depression among children; however, few studies have been conducted in the context of children of parents with alcohol dependence in India. AIM To evaluate the efficacy of psychosocial intervention for internalizing behavioral problems among children of parents with alcohol dependence. METHODS A randomized controlled trial with a 2 × 4 factorial design was adopted with longitudinal measurement of outcomes for 6 mo. Two-hundred and eleven children who met the eligibility criteria (at least one parent with alcohol dependence) at government high schools in Bangalore, India, were randomized to the experimental ( n = 97) or control group ( n = 98). The psychosocial intervention was administered to the experimental group in eight sessions (biweekly) over 4 wk after baseline assessment. The intervention focused on identifying and modifying negative thoughts, replacing thinking errors with realistic alternatives, modification of maladaptive behavior, developing adaptive coping skills and building self-esteem. The data was collected pre-intervention and at 1, 3 and 6 mo after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS 28.0 version. RESULTS Mean age of the children was 14.68 ± 0.58 years, 60.5% were male, 56% were studying in 9th standard, 70.75% were from nuclear families, and mean family monthly income was 9588.1 ± 3135.2 INR. Mean duration of parental alcohol dependence was 7.52 ± 2.94 years and the father was the alcohol-consuming parent. The findings showed that there were significant psychosocial intervention effects in terms of decreasing anxiety and depression scores, and increasing self-esteem level among experimental group subjects over the 6-mo interval, when compared with the control group ( P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The present study demonstrated that the psychosocial intervention was effective in reducing anxiety and depression, and increasing self-esteem among children of parents with alcohol dependence. The study recommends the need for ongoing psychosocial intervention for these children.

Research Review: Psychological and psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents with depression, anxiety, and post‐traumatic stress disorder in low‐ and middle‐income countries – a systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Recently, a number of new RCTs among children and adolescents in LMICs have been published (e.g., Jibunoh & Ani, 2021; Omkarappa, Rentala, & Nattala, 2022; Osborn et al., 2021). This increase in studies provided the opportunity to further strengthen the evidence base for psychological and psychosocial interventions for children in LIMCs, and to identifying sources of heterogeneity and relevant subgroups that benefit more from these interventions.…”

Adaptación y validación del test de detección de problemas relacionados con el consumo de alcohol en los padres a través de la percepción de los hijos (CAST-6)

“…El CAST presenta dos versiones, una larga de 30 ítems realizada por Jones (1981), y una versión corta de 6 ítems (CAST-6) de Hodgins et al (1993). Esta última es más eficiente en el campo de la investigación en comparación con la versión larga, debido a que permite optimizar el tiempo de los profesionales de la salud en su aplicación, así como el de los encuestados en su llenado, sin demeritar o afectar la representación del fenómeno por la reducción de ítems (Elgán et al, 2021;Hodgins et al, 1993), tal como lo muestran estudios realizados en Suecia (Elgán et al, 2016;Ramstedt et al, 2023), Noruega Haugland y Elgán, 2021;Vederhus et al, 2021;2022), India Omkarappa et al, 2022) y Polonia (Rzeszutek et al, 2021).…”