Feasibility and Acceptability of a Compressed Caregiver Training Program to Treat Child Behavior Problems

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) programs face challenges like high attrition and reliance on caregiver reports.
• There is a need for more intensive, function-based interventions to address childhood behavior problems effectively.
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles offer a framework for developing targeted behavioral interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes of an intensive, function-based behavior treatment program.
• To assess the effectiveness of a compressed, 2-week intervention designed to increase children's frustration tolerance.
• To determine if caregiver training in function-based strategies can reduce childhood behavior problems.

Main Methods:

• A 2-week intensive program with 120-minute sessions, 5 days a week, utilizing a wait training procedure.
• Employed a changing criterion single-case experimental design with 12 children (mean age 4.9 years) and their caregivers.
• Utilized direct observation and standardized measures to assess treatment outcomes.

Main Results:

• The intensive behavior treatment program significantly reduced childhood behavior problems, with large effect sizes (Cohen's d = 3.2 within sessions, 1.37 between sessions).
• The function-based intervention, focused on increasing frustration tolerance, demonstrated effectiveness in modifying child behavior.
• Caregivers reported the compressed treatment package as feasible and acceptable.

Conclusions:

• An intensive, function-based behavior treatment program is a feasible and acceptable approach for addressing childhood behavior problems.
• This intervention model, based on Applied Behavior Analysis principles, shows promise for improving child frustration tolerance and reducing behavioral issues.
• The findings suggest that caregiver training in function-based strategies can be delivered effectively in a compressed format, offering a potential alternative to traditional BPT programs.