Establishing an observational framework for the objective evaluation of parent training effectiveness

Parent training (PT) helps parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders cope with anxiety and stress. Current PT evaluation relies on subjective self-assessment and lacks objective indicators. To provide professional support, objective indicators are needed to monitor parent-child relationship changes through PT. The aim is to develop an observation framework for supporters to objectively assess the changes and challenges of PT.

An observational study was conducted on one pair using Group Triple P, a Level four program of the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P). Ten observational aspects were established as objective evaluation indicators. Nine aspects were confirmed by two observers based on 10-min video recordings of parent-child free-play sessions before PT, after PT, and at follow-up. Confirmed data were coded every 10 sec, and reliability and validity were analyzed using kappa coefficients. The remaining item, parent-child utterances, was counted using video footage and verbatim transcripts.

Eight observational aspects were adopted, and seven (speaking for and empathizing with child's feelings, physical displays of affection, simple or specific praise, suggesting play, setting parental example, and responsiveness) showed high inter-observer reliability. By quantifying speaking frequency, we captured changes in parent-child interactions, demonstrating effectiveness.

These eight observational perspectives capture changes in parent-child interactions. Using these perspectives, it is possible to objectively evaluate PT effectiveness and identify future challenges. This method could improve by increasing cases, providing concrete examples of observational perspectives, and considering a pre-training program.