Optimizing Treatment for Depressed Parents of Children With Emotional and Behavioural Problems

NCT07749521 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 50526
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 180
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Standard Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is often less effective for parents experiencing depression. As such, the Addressing Depression and Positive Parenting Techniques (ADAPT) intervention is a novel BPT tailored to address the unique emotional and cognitive needs of depressed parents to improve treatment outcomes. The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of ADAPT in reducing child emotional and behavioral difficulties compared to the gold-standard Incredible Years Parenting Program (IYPP). This study is a 4-year, individually-randomized group treatment (IRGT), parallel-group trial. We aim to recruit 180 caregivers and their children (aged 6-11 years) seeking treatment for their child's emotional and behavioral difficulties from multiple mental health centres across Toronto, including but not limited to the University of Toronto, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and Women's College Hospital (WCH). Participants will be asked to complete research measures:

• before randomization
• post-treatment
• 6 months after the end of treatment Participants will be randomized to either the experimental ADAPT intervention - A 10-session virtual program (1 individual, 9 group) focused on emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and cognitive restructuring, or the control intervention: Incredible Years Parent Program (IYPP) - A 12-session gold-standard BPT delivered virtually.

Conditions

Depression / Major Depressive Disorder; Conduct Disorders in Children; Disruptive Behaviour in Children; Parenting Intervention

Keywords

behavioural parent training; depression; parenting skills; child disruptive behaviour

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Changes in child emotional and behavioral difficulties

  Child emotional and behavioural difficulties are assessed using the Behaviour and Feelings Survey (BFS).

  Baseline (pre-randomization), post-treatment (12-weeks post-randomization), and 6-month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Changes in parental depression

  Baseline (pre-randomization), post-treatment (12-weeks post-randomization), and 6-month follow-up

• Changes in parental quality of life

  Baseline (pre-randomization), post-treatment (12-weeks post-randomization), and 6-month follow-up

• Changes in broad parenting practices

  Baseline (pre-randomization), post-treatment (12-weeks post-randomization), and 6-month follow-up

• Changes in parental stress

  Baseline (pre-randomization), post-treatment (12-weeks post-randomization), and 6-month follow-up

Other Outcomes (11)

• Changes in parental cognition

  Baseline (pre-randomization), post-treatment (12-weeks post-randomization), and 6-month follow-up

• Changes in parent emotion regulation

  Baseline (pre-randomization), post-treatment (12-weeks post-randomization), and 6-month follow-up

• Changes in real-time parent-reported child emotional and behavioral difficulties

  Baseline (pre-randomization) and post-treatment (12-weeks post-randomization)

Study Arms (2)

ADAPT Treatment

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the experimental arm will receive the novel Addressing Depression and Positiving Parenting Techniques (ADAPT) treatment. ADAPT is a targeted treatment adapted by the Co-PI based on the Parenting a Child Who Has Intense Emotions program. The treatment has modules that help parents build emotion regulation skills, distress tolerance skills, and helpful ways of thinking about their parenting. The program also contains components of standard behavioural parent training, including strategies to build family structure, routines, and predictable parenting responses to children's behavioral challenges. Additionally, ADAPT includes elements of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), an effective intervention for the treatment of adults and youth with dysregulated emotion and behavior.

Behavioral: ADAPT Treatment

Incredible Years Parenting Program (IYPP)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants randomized to the control arm will receive the Incredible Years Parenting Program (IYPP). IYPP is a best-practice and widely used treatment for parents of children with EBD.

Behavioral: Incredible Years Parenting Program (IYPP)

Interventions

ADAPT Treatment BEHAVIORAL

ADAPT is a 10-session virtual caregiver program (one individual engagement session and nine group sessions) that was developed with clinician and parent input. The initial engagement session is an individual meeting between the group facilitator and parent to build rapport and learn about the parent's unique challenges and parenting needs. Based on a motivational interviewing framework, this session is designed to gather information, discuss readiness for treatment and goals. The questions and tools used in this session help to build a collaborative understanding of unique child and parent needs that may be addressed through ADAPT and leave the parent with the hope that ADAPT can be helpful. The 9 virtual group treatment sessions that follow include modules to help parents understand the multiple potential contributions to their child's emotional/behavioral challenges, build their own emotion regulation skills, distress tolerance skills, and more helpful ways of thinking.

ADAPT Treatment

Incredible Years Parenting Program (IYPP) BEHAVIORAL

The 12-session manualized treatment is considered a gold-standard treatment because it has shown efficacy in large-scale randomized and controlled trials and meta-analyses. Parents are helped to shift their children's emotional and behavioral difficulties through improved parental skills and competencies with behaviour management, and a parental problem-solving approach. IYPP will be delivered virtually.

Incredible Years Parenting Program (IYPP)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• years of age or above
• has a child aged 6-11 years with clinically elevated emotional and behavioural disorders (Abnormal Range, 93rd percentile) on the Total Difficulties Scale of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
• parent shows clinical elevations for mild-moderate depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) (\>4 and \<15)
• capacity to tolerate a virtual group context assessed by clinical interview

You may not qualify if:

• Parent shows active suicidal ideation, substance use disorder, or psychosis
• they cannot communicate in English
• child previously diagnosed with autism or an intellectual disability

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Toronto: lead
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health: collaborator
• Women's College Hospital: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression; Depressive Disorder, Major

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Depressive Disorder; Mood Disorders; Mental Disorders

Central Study Contacts

Brendan Andrade, PhD

CONTACT

416-946-5905; brendan.andrade@utoronto.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 8, 2026
• First Posted: August 6, 2026
• Study Start: August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2030
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2030
• Last Updated: August 6, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

CA (1)