PARENTS PLUS RESEARCH EVIDENCE
The Parents Plus Programmes are evidence-based approaches and currntly ten independent studies attest to their effectiveness in clinical and specialist settings. The programmes follow best-practice guidelines as described by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in the UK.
Prof Alan Carr, University College Dublin presented a meta-study of the ten evaluations which collectively highlight the significant benefit for families who attend the Parents Plus Programmes both post treatment and importantly at follow up. See Prof Carr's Presentation of the meta-study on 26th September 2011
In addition, the Parents Plus Programmes have been independently evaluated by National Parenting Academy in the UK and have been awarded top ratings. Specifically, the Parents Plus Children’s Programme was awarded the highest category rating for the theoretical underpinnings of the approach and the comprehensive programme materials and the second highest category for facilitator training protocols and the evidence base. Significantly, it has noted the evidence for the programme as robust and equivalent to the gold standard Randomised Control Trial. Download this report for more information.
Parents Plus Early Years Programme
Clinical Setting
In a large scale multi-site controlled outcome study (N = 97) of children aged one to six, it was found that for families attending the PPEY there was a
- Decrease in Total Difficulties, and Conduct problems, and an increase in prosocial behaviour as measured by Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
- Decrease in Parental Stress as measured by Parent Stress Scale (PSS)
- Reduction in Commands and increase in Positive attends in the parent-child interaction as measured by independent before and after video observation.
- Significant reduction of parent-defined problems and gains in parent defined goals.
- Positive gains were maintained at 5 month follow-up
Compared to ‘treatment as usual’ parents completing the PPEY reported more significant reductions in behavioural problems and there was no significant difference in benefit for children with developmental delay and children with primarily behaviour problems, suggesting that the PPEY is equally beneficial to both groups The full study has been accepted for publication in International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology (Griffin et al, 2010) and the pilot study in Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry (Sharry et al, 2005).
Community Setting
A recent community study of the PPEY delivered in school settings showed that a significant number of the forty parents attending the groups reported high levels behavioural and emotional probems pre group ( 23% in the clinical range) suggesting the high need for these supports. Most encouraging though was the high impact of the groups ( only 3% remaining in clinical range post group) lending support for parenting groups in the community (see KIlroy et al, 2008)
Parents Plus Children’s Programme
Clinical Setting
In evaluating the programme, a sequential block design was used to assign 74 parents of children referred to the service to the PPCP group (n= 42) or the Treatment as Usual (TAU) Comparison Group (n= 32). Assessment took place before and immediately following the 8 week intervention for both groups and at five-month follow-up for the PPCP Group. Compared to the TAU Group post-programme, the PPCP Group displayed significant reductions in total difficulties and conduct problems as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, decreased parental stress, increased parental confidence and significant improvements in parent-defined problems and goals. These positive changes were maintained at five month follow-up for the PPCP group, in addition to further significant improvements in peer problems and prosocial behaviour. The analysis also suggests that the programme is more effective for parents of children with behavioural problems only, than for those with associated developmental difficulties. The full study is published in Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry (Coughlin, Sharry et al. 2009)
Community Setting
Currently, the Parents Plus Children’s Programme is undergoing a Randomised Controlled Trial
study in primary schools throughout Ireland. The study is in the data collection stage and initial results are expected in 2012.
Parents Plus Adolescent Programme
Clinical setting
Following a sequential block design, the Parents Plus Adolescent Programme (PPAP) has been evaluated as an intervention in a Adolescent Mental Health Setting. Results show that parents completing the PPAP (n=38) rated their adolescents as significantly improved in terms of total difficulties, peer difficulties, and conduct difficulties as measured on the SDQ when compared to the routine clinical care control group (n=17). Parents in the PPAP group also rated their relationship with their adolescent as significantly improved, and showed greater progress in achieving their goals (Fitzpatrick et al. 2007).
Community Setting
The Parents Plus Adolescent Programme has been recently evaluated using a RCT within secondary schools in Kerry and Cork in Ireland. An RCT design was used to assign 109 parents of adolescents to a treatment group (n=70) and a waiting list control group (n=39). Assessment took place before and immediately following the 8 week intervention for both groups and at five-month follow-up for the PPCP Group. Compared to the WL Group post-programme, the PPAP Group displayed significant reductions in total difficulties and conduct problems as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, decreased parental stress as measured by the Parenting Stress Index, , increased parental satisfaction as measured by the Kansas Parenting Scale as well as significant improvements in parent-defined problems and goals. The results have been written as up as a PHD (Nitsch, 2011) and are currently being prepared for professional publication
Original Parents Plus Programme (4-11)
In a small scale comparative study, Behan et al (2001) found that parents completing the original Parents Plus Programme reported fewer child behaviour problems and improved parent child interaction, when compared to a wait list control group. In an evaluation of the effectiveness of the programme with pre-school children with developmental disabilities and behavioural problems, Quinn et al (2007) found that the treated group (n= 22), showed better adjustment on the total difficulties scale of the SDQ than a waiting list control group (n=17) and that these gains were maintained at ten month follow up. Further, a related study showed that the programme could be effective for children with behavioural difficulties – with or without developmental disabilities Quinn et al (2006)
Behan, J., Fitzpatrick, C., Sharry, J., Carr, A. & Waldron, B. (2001). Evaluation of the Parents Plus Programme. Irish Journal of Psychology, 22(3-4), 238-256.
Coughlin, M., J. Sharry, et al. (2009). "A Clinical Evaluation of the Parents Plus Children''''s Programme: A Training Course for Parents of Children with Behavioural and/or Developmental Problems." Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Vol 14(4): 541–558
Griffin, C. (2006). A clinic based evaluation of the Parents Plus Early Years Programme:. Dept of Psychology. Dublin, University College Dublin: 242.
Fitzpatrick, C., Beattie, D., O’Donohoe, P. & Guerin, S. Parent management training for adolescent mental health disorders – A Controlled trial. 54th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA. 23-28th Oct 2007.
Griffin, C., Guerin, S., Sharry, J., & Drumm, M. (2005). Evidence-based practice in parent training: The search for sound evidence of effectiveness. The Irish Psychologist, 31,
Kilroy, S., Sharry, J. Flood, C., Guerin, S. (2008) Parent training in the community – a pilot study Paper presented at Association of Child Psychology and Psychiatry Research Conference (Sept 2008).
Kilroy, S., Sharry, J. Flood, C., Guerin, S. (2011) Parent training in the community – a pilot study Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry Published Online at: DOI: 10.1177/1359104510384338
Griffin, C., Guerin, S., Sharry, J. & Drumm, M. (2010) A multi-centre controlled study of an early intervention parenting programme for young children with behavioural and developmental difficulties. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology 10(2).
Nitsch, E. (2011) Positive Parenting: A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of the Parents Plus Adolescent Programme in Schools. Dept of Psychology, University of Limerick.
Sharry, J., S. Guerin, et al. (2005). "An Evaluation of the Parents Plus Early Years Programme: A video based early intervention for parents of preschool children with behavioural and developmental difficulties." Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 10(3).
Quinn, M, Carr, A, Carroll, L, O'Sullivan, D. (2007) Parents Plus Programme Evaluation of its effectiveness for Preschool Children with Developmental Disabilities and Behavioural Problem. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities 20, 345–359
Quinn, M., A. Carr, et al. (2006). An evaluation of the Parents Plus Programme for pre-school children with conduct problems: A comparison of those with and without developmental disabilities. The Irish Journal of Psychology 27(3-4): 168-182.