Evaluating A Brief Telehealth Positive Parenting Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Area of Science:

• Clinical Psychology
• Public Health
• Family Studies

Background:

• Parenting interventions require enhanced accessibility and scalability.
• Selected Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) is an evidence-based intervention.
• Efficacy of telehealth delivery for Triple P has not been previously evaluated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of telehealth-delivered Selected Triple P.
• To investigate the impact of an active discussion component on intervention outcomes.
• To assess Selected Triple P as a universal parenting intervention via telehealth.

Main Methods:

• Three-arm randomized controlled trial with 97 parents/caregivers of children aged 2-12.
• Conditions: 90-min intervention, 60-min intervention without active discussion, waitlist control.
• Assessments conducted at baseline and 2 months post-intervention.

Main Results:

• High satisfaction and acceptability reported in both intervention groups.
• The 90-min telehealth intervention significantly increased positive reinforcement and positive parenting, and reduced parental hostility compared to controls.
• The 60-min intervention did not show statistically significant improvements over the control group, with no significant differences between intervention arms.

Conclusions:

• Telehealth delivery of Selected Triple P is feasible and acceptable.
• A 90-minute telehealth intervention shows preliminary efficacy in improving parenting practices.
• Findings support the scalability and dissemination of universal parenting interventions via telehealth to increase access to mental health services.