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Preliminary Outcomes of an Incentive-based Parent-training Intervention

Substantial evidence supports the effective reduction of child behavior problems and increase of positive parenting skills in behavioral parent-training (BPT) programs; however, many of these treatments suffer from high rates of family termination after the first few sessions and low family adherenc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of child and family studies 2021-11, Vol.30 (11), p.2845-2859
Main Authors: Highlander, April, Quetsch, Lauren, Girard, Emma, McNeil, Cheryl B.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Substantial evidence supports the effective reduction of child behavior problems and increase of positive parenting skills in behavioral parent-training (BPT) programs; however, many of these treatments suffer from high rates of family termination after the first few sessions and low family adherence to treatment protocol (e.g., homework completion). The current study presents preliminary results of a larger randomized controlled trial of families randomly assigned to one of two conditions: incentivized Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) ( N  = 34) and PCIT alone ( N  = 30). This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of incentives in increasing families session attendance, session homework completion, and use of positive parenting skills as well as decreasing negative parenting practices and children’s behavior problems in the first few treatment sessions. Data were analyzed using independent sample t-tests, analyses of variance, and Pearson correlations. Families in the incentive group received approximately five incentives (worth approximately $5–12 each) during treatment ( M  = 5.41, SD  = 2.38) with the maximum of nine incentives possible for the duration of the study. Families receiving incentives were not significantly different from families in parent training alone on a number of adherence-related factors during the first five sessions. Although not significant ( p  > 0.05), the incentive group had proportionally fewer participants (14.7%) end services compared to the non-incentive group (26.7%). Paper homework completion and attendance were positively correlated with changes in positive parenting behaviors, suggesting that parental early engagement is an important factor in the therapeutic process of BPT programs. However, the use of small incentives may not be sufficient to enhance early treatment attendance when families are most likely to drop out of treatment. Highlights To combat high rates of early treatment dropout, families in the study were randomized to receive incentives for adherence to treatment protocol. While not statistically significant, incentivized families were less likely to drop out of treatment than non-incentivized families. Families who received incentives were equally likely to attend treatment and complete homework assignments. Families in both treatment groups had similar parent and child outcomes in the first few treatment sessions.
ISSN:1062-1024
1573-2843
DOI:10.1007/s10826-021-02073-4