Web-Based Parent Training With Telephone Coaching Aimed at Treating Child Disruptive Behaviors in a Clinical Setting During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Single-Group Study With 2-Year Follow-Up




Sourander, Saana; Westerlund, Minja; Baumel, Amit; Hinkka-Yli-Salomäki, Susanna; Ristkari, Terja; Kurki, Marjo; Sourander, Andre

PublisherJMIR Publications Inc.

2024

JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting

JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting

7

e63416-e

2561-6722

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2196/63416

https://doi.org/10.2196/63416

https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/484556491



Background: There is a lack of studies examining the long-term outcomes of web-based parent training programs implemented in clinical settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: The aim is to study 2-year outcomes of families with 3‐ to 8-year-old children referred from family counseling centers to the Finnish Strongest Families Smart Website (SFSW), which provides digital parent training with telephone coaching aimed at treating child disruptive behaviors.

Methods: Counseling centers in Helsinki identified fifty 3‐ to 8-year-old children with high levels of disruptive behavioral problems. Child psychopathology and functioning as well as parenting styles and parental mental health were collected from parents at baseline; posttreatment; and at 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-ups.

Results: The SFSW program had positive long-term changes in child psychopathology and parenting skills. Improvements in child psychopathology, including Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire total score (Cohen d=0.47; P < .001), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire conduct scores (Cohen d=0.65; P < .001), and Affective Reactivity Index irritability scores (Cohen d=0.52; P < .001), were maintained until the 24-month follow-up. Similarly, changes in parenting skills measured with the Parenting Scale, including overreactivity (Cohen d=0.41; P = .001) and laxness (Cohen d=0.26; P = .02), were maintained until the 24-month follow-up. However, parental hostility changes were not maintained at long-term follow-up (Cohen d=−0.04; P = .70).

Conclusions: The study shows that the SFSW parent training program can yield significant long-term benefits. Findings indicate that the benefits of the treatment may vary between different parenting styles, which is important to consider when developing more personalized parenting interventions.


This project has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement 101020767) and from the Research Council of Finland (decision 345546).


Last updated on 2025-23-04 at 09:57