Behavioral Parent Training for Disruptive Behaviors

(MATCH-DB Trial)

Overseen By Brendan F. Andrade, PhD

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Disqualifiers: Pervasive developmental disorder, Autism, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Approved in 3 Jurisdictions This treatment is already approved in other countries

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 8-12 weeks

200 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how personalized profiles of children with Disruptive Behavior Disorder (DBD) and their parents might predict therapy response. It tests the effectiveness of a combined child and parent cognitive behavioral therapy approach, focusing on Behavioral Parent Training (BPT). Children who may benefit include those facing significant challenges in school or relationships, with parents willing to join group therapy sessions. The study excludes children with certain developmental disorders or those preferring individual treatment. As an unphased trial, it offers families a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could enhance therapy outcomes for children with DBD.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.

What prior data suggests that Behavioral Parent Training is safe for children with Disruptive Behaviour Disorder?

Research has shown that Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is safe and generally well-received. This method reduces disruptive behaviors in children by teaching parents effective techniques, such as rewarding good behavior. No evidence indicates negative effects from the training itself.

BPT aims to improve parent-child interactions without involving medication, often resulting in fewer side effects. Other studies, including reviews of similar approaches, have confirmed its effectiveness and safety in enhancing parent-child relationships and managing disruptive behaviors. Overall, BPT is considered a reliable and safe choice for families facing these challenges. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about Behavioral Parent Training for disruptive behaviors because it offers a hands-on approach that directly involves parents in the therapy process. Unlike standard treatments that often focus solely on the child, this method aims to equip parents with cognitive behavioral strategies to manage and reduce their child's disruptive behaviors. This dual-focus on both child and parent is designed to create a more supportive home environment, which could lead to more sustainable improvements in behavior. By actively involving parents, it empowers families to be part of the solution, potentially leading to more lasting and meaningful changes.

What evidence suggests that Behavioral Parent Training is effective for Disruptive Behaviour Disorder?

Research shows that Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) can help reduce disruptive behavior in children. In one study, 11 out of 12 trials found a significant decrease in these behavior problems. Another study suggested that the success of BPT may depend on the specific needs of each family, highlighting the importance of customizing the approach. While the short-term benefits of BPT are well-supported, some studies indicate that its long-term effects can vary. This trial will evaluate a Multi-Component Child and Parent Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which includes BPT as a component. Overall, BPT is a promising way to manage disruptive behavior in children, especially when tailored to fit different families. ^{1 3 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Brendan F. Andrade, PhD

Principal Investigator

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for children with Disruptive Behaviour Disorders like ADHD, Conduct Disorder, ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), and related emotional issues. Their parents will also participate. The study requires detailed psychological profiles of both to predict treatment response.

Inclusion Criteria

Child has clinically severe impairment in the interpersonal relations (greater than 3), functioning in schoolwork (greater than 3), or total domains (greater than 15) on the Columbia Impairment scale

Parent is able and willing to participate in a group treatment

Child is borderline/clinically at risk on the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) or Teacher Report Form (TRF) (T-score greater than or equal to 60 on Externalizing Problems composite scale or a T-score greater than or equal to 65 on the Oppositional Defiant Disorder and/or Conduct Disorder scales)

Exclusion Criteria

Parent behaviour or emotional functioning that make group participation not possible

I prefer one-on-one treatment.

I prefer to choose my own treatment.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Behavioral Parent Training (BPT)

8-12 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in parenting competencies, skills, and child emotional and behavioral problems

6 months - 1 year

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Behavioral Parent Training

Trial Overview The study is testing Behavioral Parent Training as a treatment. It aims to see if creating personalized profiles based on psychological and neuropsychological factors can help predict how well children and their parents respond to the therapy.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Multi-Component Child and Parent Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Parents and their children aged 6-12 with DBD who meet inclusion criteria.

Behavioral Parent Training is already approved in United States, European Union, Canada for the following indications:

Approved in United States as Behavioral Parent Training for:

• Disruptive Behavior Disorder
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• Conduct Disorder
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Anxiety with behavioral difficulties
• Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
• Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)

Approved in European Union as Parent Management Training for:

• Disruptive Behavior Disorder
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• Conduct Disorder
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Anxiety with behavioral difficulties

Approved in Canada as Behavioral Parent Training for:

• Disruptive Behavior Disorder
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• Conduct Disorder
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Lead Sponsor

Trials

388

Recruited

84,200+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A meta-regression analysis of 29 studies involving 2,345 parents showed that behavioral parent training for children with ADHD has small- to medium-sized positive effects on various parental outcomes, such as parenting competence and mental health.

Techniques that focus on manipulating antecedents of behavior and reinforcing desired behaviors were particularly effective, while higher dosages of psychoeducation were found to negatively impact parental outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Meta-analysis: Which Components of Parent Training Work for Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? Dekkers, TJ., Hornstra, R., van der Oord, S., et al.[2022]

Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is an effective first-line treatment for children with ADHD under six years old and a recommended combination treatment for older children, showing significant improvements in problem behaviors like inattention and hyperactivity.

The study demonstrated that BPT significantly improved parenting practices, as evidenced by changes in Parenting Scale scores, indicating that it can reduce negative parenting behaviors and enhance outcomes for children with ADHD.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Does a Behavioral Parent Training Program for Parents of ADHD Children Improve Outcomes? A Pilot Project. Morgan, TC., O'Keefe, LC.[2021]

Parent-mediated behavior modification programs are effective for addressing inappropriate behaviors in children, supported by extensive empirical evidence for both handicapped and normal children.

The review highlights the importance of considering both specific and general reservations when prescribing and implementing these programs, emphasizing the appeal of self-instructional approaches for parents.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Procedures and problems in behavioral training for parents. Mcloughlin, CS.[2019]

Behavioral parent training (BPT) is an effective treatment for ADHD, improving both child behavior and parenting practices, as well as reducing parenting stress and enhancing classroom behavior.

Despite its effectiveness, research on BPT for ADHD is less comprehensive than for other disorders like oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD), highlighting the need for further studies to understand factors affecting treatment outcomes, especially given the high comorbidity between ADHD and these disorders.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Enhancements to the behavioral parent training paradigm for families of children with ADHD: review and future directions. Chronis, AM., Chacko, A., Fabiano, GA., et al.[2019]

Behavioral parent training (BPT) significantly enhances the effectiveness of routine clinical care (RCC) for children with ADHD, particularly in reducing behavioral and internalizing problems, as shown in a study of 94 children over 5 months.

While BPT + RCC improved behavioral issues, it did not significantly affect ADHD symptoms or parenting stress compared to RCC alone, suggesting that BPT may help limit the need for multiple medications.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of behavioral parent training for children with ADHD in routine clinical practice: a randomized controlled study. van den Hoofdakker, BJ., van der Veen-Mulders, L., Sytema, S., et al.[2019]

A study involving 92 parents of children with ADHD showed that brief training in either antecedent-based (AC) or consequent-based (CC) techniques significantly improved daily problem behaviors compared to a waitlist group.

Antecedent-based techniques were particularly effective in reducing inattention symptoms immediately after training and at a two-week follow-up, highlighting their importance in managing ADHD behaviors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Which Techniques Work in Behavioral Parent Training for Children with ADHD? A Randomized Controlled Microtrial. Hornstra, R., van der Oord, S., Staff, AI., et al.[2022]

The Brief Behavioral Intervention, a shorter version of parent management training, effectively reduced disruptive behavior in children aged 2-6.5 years, with significant improvements noted immediately after treatment and maintained at 6-month and 1-year follow-ups.

The study involved 120 children and showed lower attrition rates compared to typical treatment programs, indicating that this brief intervention may be more acceptable and sustainable for families.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Treatment effectiveness of a brief behavioral intervention for preschool disruptive behavior. Axelrad, ME., Butler, AM., Dempsey, J., et al.[2021]

The Strongest Families Smart Website (SFSW) intervention, a Web-based parent training program combined with telephone coaching, showed good feasibility and high satisfaction rates among parents in both a randomized controlled trial (RCT) and a real-world implementation study, indicating its effectiveness in treating disruptive behavioral problems in children.

Discontinuation rates were significantly lower in the implementation group (12.4%) compared to the RCT group (22.4%), suggesting that the program is more likely to be completed in a primary health care setting, which enhances its accessibility and potential impact.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Web-Based Parent Training Intervention With Telephone Coaching for Disruptive Behavior in 4-Year-Old Children in Real-World Practice: Implementation Study. Ristkari, T., Kurki, M., Suominen, A., et al.[2023]

Behavioral parent training (BPT) significantly reduced the frequency and severity of problematic behaviors in children with ADHD, particularly in areas like chores, homework, and peer interactions, based on data from 304 parents.

Parents reported a notable decrease in stress related to parenting their child with ADHD after participating in BPT, indicating that this intervention not only helps children but also supports parental well-being.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Behavioral Parent Training for ADHD Reduces Situational Severity of Child Noncompliance and Related Parental Stress. Ciesielski, HA., Loren, REA., Tamm, L.[2021]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10796477/

The Efficacy of Parent Management Training With or ... Here, we investigate the effectiveness of three therapy programs in the treatment of disruptive behavior disorders and compare their relative effectiveness.

2. bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-05649-8

The short- and longer-term effects of brief behavioral parent ... The longer-term effects of behavioral parent training are less consistent: A meta-analysis on behavioral parent training for children with ...

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0005789424001503

Do Parent-Centered Profiles Moderate Treatment Outcomes? This study examines how family profiles moderate parenting and child outcomes. The results suggest TE-BPT gains depend on family profiles.

4. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8324591/

The Efficacy of Parent Training Interventions for Disruptive ... 11 of the 12 studies reported significant reductions in primary externalizing behavior problems and DBDs. 7 studies reported significant reductions in ...

5. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23794925.2025.2502922?src=

Full article: Telegroup Parent Behavior Management ... Emerging research supports the use of telegroup PBMT for disruptive behavior and related disorders in children with the potential to increase ...

6. childfamilyinstitute.com childfamilyinstitute.com/factsheets/evidence-based-treatments-at-cfi/parent-management-training/

Parent Management Training (PMT) PMT is a short-term treatment program with its main focus on providing positive reinforcement for appropriate child behaviors.

7. link.springer.com link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00787-025-02799-2

Efficacy of a mobile-based self-directed parent ... This study investigated the efficacy of a mobile-based self-directed d-PMT for parents of children aged 4–11 years with attention-deficit/hyperactivity ...

8. mdpi.com mdpi.com/2077-0383/14/3/856

Parent–Child Interaction Therapy for Disruptive Behavior This systematic review highlights PCIT's overall effectiveness in reducing disruptive behaviors and improving parent–child relationships across diverse ...