Incorporating emotion coaching into behavioral parent training program: evaluation of its effectiveness

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Disruptive behaviors in childhood are linked to adverse mental health outcomes.
• Parenting programs, including behavioral management and emotion coaching, show promise in mitigating these behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a community clinic-based parent training program integrating behavioral and emotion coaching (BPEC).
• To assess BPEC's impact on children's disruptive behaviors, ADHD symptoms, and the parent-child relationship.

Main Methods:

• A randomized control trial (RCT) involving 119 parents with elementary school-aged children exhibiting disruptive behaviors.
• Participants were randomly assigned to the BPEC intervention group or a waitlist control group.
• Data collected via pre-tests, post-tests, and 3-month delayed post-tests.

Main Results:

• The BPEC group reported significantly fewer child oppositional behaviors and ADHD symptoms compared to the control group.
• Participants in the BPEC group also reported a more positive parent-child relationship.
• Short-term reductions in oppositional behaviors were maintained at the 3-month follow-up.

Conclusions:

• The BPEC program is effective in reducing disruptive behaviors and ADHD symptoms in children.
• BPEC enhances the parent-child relationship, offering a valuable intervention for parents facing behavioral challenges.
• The positive effects of BPEC on disruptive behaviors demonstrate its clinical utility.