Treatment Effectiveness of Parent Management Training in Norway: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Children With Conduct Problems

• Published in: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology 2008-08, Vol.76 (4), p.607-621
• Main Authors: Ogden, Terje, Hagen, Kristine Amlund
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Differences; Behavior disorders; Behavior Modification; Behavior Problems; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Behavior Checklist; Child, Preschool; Children; Clinical trials; Comparative Analysis; Conduct Disorder - diagnosis; Conduct Disorder - psychology; Conduct Disorder - therapy; Conduct disorders; Cooperative Behavior; Discipline; Education - methods; Effectiveness studies; Family Relationship; Female; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Human; Humans; Internal-External Control; Interpersonal Competence; Interpersonal Relationship; Male; Medical sciences; Medical treatment; Miscellaneous; Norway; Outcomes of Treatment; Parent Child Relationship; Parent Education; Parent Training; Parent-Child Relations; Parenting Skills; Parents; Parents & parenting; Personality Assessment; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Prosocial Behavior; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Randomized controlled trials; Satisfaction; Social Adjustment; Social Environment; Social Skills Rating System; Training; Treatment Outcome; Treatments
• ISSN: 0022-006X; 1939-2117
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.76.4.607

This study was a randomized control trial (RCT) of Parent Management Training-The Oregon Model (PMTO) in Norway. A sample representing all health regions of Norway and consisting of 112 children with conduct problems and their families participated in the study. Families were randomly assigned to either PMTO or a regular services comparison group. PMTO was delivered via existing children's services, and families were recruited using the agencies' regular referral procedures, making this the first effectiveness study of PMTO and the first RCT of PMTO conducted outside of the United States. Using a multiagent-multimethod approach, results showed that PMTO was effective in reducing parent-reported child externalizing problems, improving teacher-reported social competence, and enhancing parental discipline. Age level and gender modified the effects of PMTO treatment on other outcomes. In a path model, participation in PMTO was associated with improved parental discipline, and effective discipline predicted greater child compliance, fewer child-initiated negative chains, and lower levels of child externalizing problems. Findings are presented along with a discussion of the implications for practice and research and the challenges accompanying effectiveness trials.