Parents Plus Programme 1: Evaluation of Its Effectiveness for Pre‐School Children with Developmental Disabilities and Behavioural Problems

Abstract

Background This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Parents Plus programme with families of pre‐school children with developmental disabilities and significant behavioural problems in the Irish health service. The Parents Plus programme is a group‐based parent training package involving video modelling, which was designed to be effective for children with conduct problems, but without developmental disabilities. Materials and methods Pre‐ and post‐treatment assessments were conducted with 22 treated cases and 19 waiting‐list controls with a protocol that included the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Child Behaviour Checklist, the General Health Questionnaire‐12, the Kansas Parental Satisfaction Scale, the Family Assessment Device, the Perceived Social Support Scale, the Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes, the Parenting Stress Index and the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress. Results Following the treatment, a comparison of treatment and control group means showed that the treated group showed better adjustment on the total difficulties scale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. These gains were maintained at 10‐month follow‐up. Fifty per cent of treated cases showed clinically significant improvement and 14% showed reliable change on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The treatment group reported a high level of satisfaction with the Parents Plus programme and showed significant goal attainment after treatment and at follow‐up. Conclusions For some families of pre‐school children with developmental disabilities and significant behavioural problems, the Parents Plus programme is an effective intervention and may be incorporated into routine early intervention clinics in the Irish health service.

Effects of parent management training programs on disruptive behavior for children with a developmental disability: A meta-analysis

“…those measured weeks or months following treatment end) were not analyzed in this meta-analysis. Quinn et al (2007) evaluated child behavior using both the CBCL and the SDQ. In this case the effect sizes were standardized and averaged.…”

“…The Parents' Plus Programmes are evidence-based programs delivered in small groups and use a videobased format to illustrate both negative and positive family interactions. The sessions also include group discussions and assigned homework (Quinn et al, 2007). Two types of Parents Plus Programmes evaluated in this meta-analysis -Children's Programme (Coughlin et al, 2009;Quinn et al, 2007) for children ages 6-12 years of age, and a modified version of the Children's Programme, adapted to accommodate children with a developmental disability, examined by Hand, Raghallaigh, et al (2013).…”

“…The DSM-IV oriented scales are affective problems, anxiety, somatic, attention deficit/hyperactivity, oppositional defiant and conduct. The CBCL is used in the evaluation of three studies (McIntyre, 2008b;Quinn, Carr, Carroll, & O'Sullivan, 2007;Wilson, 2011).…”

“…There are three versions of the SDQparent report, teacher report and child/adolescent report. The parent version of the SDQ was used in three studies (Coughlin et al, 2009;Hand, McDonnell, Honari, & Sharry, 2013;Hand, Raghallaigh, et al, 2013;Quinn et al, 2007).…”

Parenting groups, how long is enough? The efficacy of a community-run Parents Plus Early Years Program as a preschool parenting intervention of modifiable duration

“…A number of studies have shown that the Parents Plus Programs are effective in reducing childhood behavior problems and associated parental stress in clinical settings for a variety of age groups (e.g., Behan, Fitzpatrick, Sharry, Carr, & Waldron, 2001;Coughlin, Sharry, Fitzpatrick, Guerin, & Drumm, 2009;Quinn, Carr, Carroll, & O'Sullivan, 2007). In particular, the PPEY Program has been shown to reduce conduct problems, hyperactivity, and parental stress and to help parents move significantly closer to their goals when conducted in a clinical setting by mental health professionals (Griffin, Guerin, Sharry, & Drumm, 2010); however, many parents display limited attendance with clinic-based programs and are less likely to complete treatment (Kazdin, Mazurick, & Bass, 1993), with some parents reporting feeling stigma attached to attending child and adolescent mental health services (Bradby et al, 2007).…”