Preliminary Investigation of the Influence of Treatment Regimen on Outcomes in Behavioral Parent Training

Abstract

Caregiver engagement and implementation of behavioral strategies are essential to effective interventions targeting childhood behavior problems. The aim of this preliminary investigation was to better understand caregiver decision-making when selecting different treatment regimens in an open trial format. Treatment packages included: (1) an intensive treatment program (ITP), involving a compressed 20-hour intervention occurring 2 hours per day for 10 days; and (2) a standard dosage treatment as usual (TAU) behavioral treatment program, involving weekly 50-minute appointments. Sixty-seven families with a child between 4–11 years old (M age = 5.82) with clinically significant problem behaviors self-referred to a hospital-based outpatient behavior therapy program. Results suggest that while caregivers chose a standard treatment regimen at a ratio of 2:1, compressed treatment (ITP) was associated with increased caregiver engagement and more significant reductions in child target behavior using both direct and indirect measures. Findings provide preliminary support for the use of high dosage treatment regimens as a means of increasing caregiver engagement and in the reduction of problem behavior in young children.