Parents' Adherence to Treatment Recommendations

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The primary purpose of this study was to test whether conducting a brief motivational interview that focused on perceived barriers to treatment seeking would increase the likelihood that a parent with psychiatric problems would seek treatment for themselves.

Detailed Description
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The primary aim of this study was to test a method for increasing adherence to treatment recommendations for parents of children with emotional/behavior problems. Mental health problems in parents can be a serious risk factor for psychiatric and medical problems in children, yet most parents of children receiving services for mental health or medical problems do not get treatment for their own problems. The specific aim of this study was to increase parents' adherence to recommendations for treatment. Parents were randomly assigned to either the Enhanced Motivational Intervention (EMI) or an information only control group. The EMI involves motivational interviewing comprised of a brief intervention that elicits the parents' story, provides education about their problem(s), describes the potential link between parents' and children's symptoms, assesses their prior treatment history, expectations, and concerns about treatment, identifies potential barriers to treatment seeking, and determines the next step. Evaluations at baseline and 8-weeks and 4-months post intervention will assess parents' symptoms, functioning, and service utilization. The investigators hypothesized that adherence to treatment recommendations would be significantly greater for parents in the EMI group compared to parents in the control group.

Official Title
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Parents' Adherence to Treatment Recommendations: Do It for the Children

Conditions
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Help-Seeking Behavior

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Motivational Interview
* Behavioral: Information only control


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Parent or guardian of a child who is receiving services for emotional or behavioral problems. Must have legal custody of the child Exclusion Criteria: Current psychosis

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 21 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Experimental intervention vs. an information only control
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Motivational Interview<br>After the assessment, parents were provided with a 90-minute intervention aimed at increasing the likelihood that the parent would seek treatment for psychiatric problems for themselves. | Behavioral: Motivational Interview<br>* 90-minute interview to discuss their concerns and possible barriers to seeking treatment for themselves<br>|
| Other: Information only control<br>After the assessment, parents were given pamphlet with referral information for psychiatric services. | Behavioral: Information only control<br>* Participants are provided with a pamphlet containing referral information<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Contact a treatment provider | Number of participants who contacted a treatment provider | by the 4-month post intervention evaluation |