Optimizing Treatment for Depressed Parents of Children With Emotional and Behavioural Problems

Summary

Standard Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is often less effective for parents experiencing depression. As such, the Addressing Depression and Positive Parenting Techniques (ADAPT) intervention is a novel BPT tailored to address the unique emotional and cognitive needs of depressed parents to improve treatment outcomes.

The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of ADAPT in reducing child emotional and behavioral difficulties compared to the gold-standard Incredible Years Parenting Program (IYPP).

This study is a 4-year, individually-randomized group treatment (IRGT), parallel-group trial. We aim to recruit 180 caregivers and their children (aged 6-11 years) seeking treatment for their child's emotional and behavioral difficulties from multiple mental health centres across Toronto, including but not limited to the University of Toronto, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and Women's College Hospital (WCH).

Participants will be asked to complete research measures:

* before randomization
* post-treatment
* 6 months after the end of treatment

Participants will be randomized to either the experimental ADAPT intervention - A 10-session virtual program (1 individual, 9 group) focused on emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and cognitive restructuring, or the control intervention: Incredible Years Parent Program (IYPP) - A 12-session gold-standard BPT delivered virtually.

Conditions

• Depression / Major Depressive Disorder
• Conduct Disorders in Children
• Disruptive Behaviour in Children
• Parenting Intervention

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

ADAPT Treatment

ADAPT is a 10-session virtual caregiver program (one individual engagement session and nine group sessions) that was developed with clinician and parent input. The initial engagement session is an individual meeting between the group facilitator and parent to build rapport and learn about the parent's unique challenges and parenting needs. Based on a motivational interviewing framework, this session is designed to gather information, discuss readiness for treatment and goals. The questions and tools used in this session help to build a collaborative understanding of unique child and parent needs that may be addressed through ADAPT and leave the parent with the hope that ADAPT can be helpful. The 9 virtual group treatment sessions that follow include modules to help parents understand the multiple potential contributions to their child's emotional/behavioral challenges, build their own emotion regulation skills, distress tolerance skills, and more helpful ways of thinking.

BEHAVIORAL

Incredible Years Parenting Program (IYPP)

The 12-session manualized treatment is considered a gold-standard treatment because it has shown efficacy in large-scale randomized and controlled trials and meta-analyses. Parents are helped to shift their children's emotional and behavioral difficulties through improved parental skills and competencies with behaviour management, and a parental problem-solving approach. IYPP will be delivered virtually.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

  collaborator OTHER

• Women's College Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Toronto

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-08-31

Primary Completion

2030-08-31

Completion

2030-08-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations