Nurtured Heart Parenting Intervention for Child Behavioural Problems

NCT06195579 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: 22004
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 6
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Behavioural problems are prevalent in children, yet the consequences can be significant for the child, family and wider society. Effective intervention is paramount in reducing the impact of childhood behavioural problems. The Nurtured Heart Approach (NHA; Glasser \& Easley, 2016) is an atheoretical parenting intervention which aims to reduce childhood behavioural problems. Although used in clinical practice, there is little empirical research on the effectiveness of the NHA. The aims of the study were to examine whether the NHA reduced parent-reported child behavioural problems, reduced negative parenting practices, and increased parental reflective functioning. The study used a multiple baseline single case design. Parents of children with behavioural problems were recruited from CAMHS waiting lists. The NHA was delivered in a guided self-help format, using the Transforming the Intense Child workbook (Glasser, 2016) and weekly phone calls. Data collection involved psychometric measures of parent-reported child behavioural problems, parenting practices and parental reflecting functioning. Measures were repeated throughout baseline and intervention phases. A follow-up four weeks after the intervention included final measure administration and a change interview. The data were graphed and visually analysed. Supplementary analysis included reliable and clinically significant change, Tau-U and percentage exceeding the median. Framework analysis was used to analyse the change interview.

Conditions

Parent-Child Relations; Child Behavior Problem

Keywords

child behavioural problems; parent training; Nurtured Heart Approach; guided self-help; single case design

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Parent-reported Child Behavioural Problems

  Results state the number of children for whom parents reported an improvement in behaviour using the Brief Problem Monitor (Achenbach et al., 2011).

  Measure across the baseline phase (3 weeks), intervention phase (6 weeks) and follow up (one month post intervention)

• Idiographic Measure of Parent-perceived Problems

  Results state the number of children for whom parents reported an improvement on the ideographic goals set by parents. Measured using the PSYCHLOPS (Ainsworth et al., 2009)

  Measured at the beginning of the baseline and follow up (one month post intervention)

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Negative Parenting Practices

  Measure across the baseline phase (3 weeks), intervention phase (6 weeks) and follow up (one month post intervention)

• Parental Reflective Functioning

  Measure across the baseline phase (3 weeks), intervention phase (6 weeks) and follow up (one month post intervention)

• Parental Wellbeing

  Measured at the beginning of the baseline and follow up (one month post intervention)

Study Arms (1)

Intervention arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants receiving the intervention whilst on a waiting list for treatment as usual

Behavioral: Transforming the Intense Child Workbook (Glasser, 2016)

Interventions

Transforming the Intense Child Workbook (Glasser, 2016) BEHAVIORAL

The NHA was delivered in a guided self-help format, using the Transforming the Intense Child workbook (Glasser, 2016) and weekly phone calls.

Intervention arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Participants will be parents/carers of children who have been referred to National Health Service (NHS) children's services for behavioural problems. Participants will be recruited from waiting lists of NHS children's services at the two research sites in the East Midlands.
• The referred child is aged between three and eleven years old.
• The referred child is on a waiting list for an NHS children's service at the two research sites.
• The referred child's behavioural problems are one of the primary reasons for referral to the NHS service.
• The parent/carer identifies the referred child's behaviour as problematic.

You may not qualify if:

• The referred child has a diagnosis of developmental delay or learning disability.
• The family is current receiving active multi-agency involvement (e.g. social care, police or youth offending in addition to NHS services).
• The parent/carer is aged under 18.
• The parent/carer is unable to read or speak English fluently.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Lincoln: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Lincoln

Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN5 7AT, United Kingdom

Location

Limitations and Caveats

The study included no observational element, meaning there is no measure of the extent to which parents were using the NHA in interactions with their children. The study also highlights the limitations of measures used for the variables of interest e.g. the BPM has limited items related to externalizing behaviour but alternative measures were not appropriate for a single case design. The limitations of the measures require the results to be interpreted in the context of these shortcomings.

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr Nima Moghaddam
• Organization: University of Lincoln

nmoghaddam@lincoln.ac.uk

01522882000

Study Officials

• Nima Moghaddam

  University of Lincoln

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Single case design

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 22, 2023
• First Posted: January 8, 2024
• Study Start: June 27, 2022
• Primary Completion: February 28, 2023
• Study Completion: September 30, 2023
• Last Updated: August 5, 2024
• Results First Posted: August 5, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)