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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06195579

Nurtured Heart Parenting Intervention for Child Behavioural Problems

Behavioural problems are prevalent in children, yet the consequences can be significant for the child, family and wider society. Effective intervention is paramount in reducing the impact of childhood behavioural problems. The Nurtured Heart Approach (NHA; Glasser & Easley, 2016) is an atheoretical parenting intervention which aims to reduce childhood behavioural problems. Although used in clinical practice, there is little empirical research on the effectiveness of the NHA. The aims of the study were to examine whether the NHA reduced parent-reported child behavioural problems, reduced negative parenting practices, and increased parental reflective functioning.

The study used a multiple baseline single case design. Parents of children with behavioural problems were recruited from CAMHS waiting lists. The NHA was delivered in a guided self-help format, using the Transforming the Intense Child workbook (Glasser, 2016) and weekly phone calls. Data collection involved psychometric measures of parent-reported child behavioural problems, parenting practices and parental reflecting functioning. Measures were repeated throughout baseline and intervention phases. A follow-up four weeks after the intervention included final measure administration and a change interview. The data were graphed and visually analysed. Supplementary analysis included reliable and clinically significant change, Tau-U and percentage exceeding the median. Framework analysis was used to analyse the change interview.

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Key information

Conditions

Parent-Child Relations Child Behavior Problem

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Lincoln

Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN5 7AT, United Kingdom

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Participants will be parents/carers of children who have been referred to National Health Service (NHS) children's services for behavioural problems. Participants will be recruited from waiting lists of NHS children's services at the two research sites in the East Midlands.

Inclusion criteria

  • The referred child is aged between three and eleven years old.
  • The referred child is on a waiting list for an NHS children's service at the two research sites.
  • The referred child's behavioural problems are one of the primary reasons for referral to the NHS service.
  • The parent/carer identifies the referred child's behaviour as problematic.

Exclusion criteria

  • The referred child has a diagnosis of developmental delay or learning disability.
  • The family is current receiving active multi-agency involvement (e.g. social care, police or youth offending in addition to NHS services).
  • The parent/carer is aged under 18.
  • The parent/carer is unable to read or speak English fluently.

Treatment and study plan

Transforming the Intense Child Workbook (Glasser, 2016)

Behavioral

The NHA was delivered in a guided self-help format, using the Transforming the Intense Child workbook (Glasser, 2016) and weekly phone calls.

Primary outcomes

  1. Parent-reported Child Behavioural Problems

    Time frame: Measure across the baseline phase (3 weeks), intervention phase (6 weeks) and follow up (one month post intervention)

    Results state the number of children for whom parents reported an improvement in behaviour using the Brief Problem Monitor (Achenbach et al., 2011).

  2. Idiographic Measure of Parent-perceived Problems

    Time frame: Measured at the beginning of the baseline and follow up (one month post intervention)

    Results state the number of children for whom parents reported an improvement on the ideographic goals set by parents. Measured using the PSYCHLOPS (Ainsworth et al., 2009)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Negative Parenting Practices

    Time frame: Measure across the baseline phase (3 weeks), intervention phase (6 weeks) and follow up (one month post intervention)

    Parents whose negative parenting practices reduced, measured using the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (Parent and Forehand, 2017)

  2. Parental Reflective Functioning

    Time frame: Measure across the baseline phase (3 weeks), intervention phase (6 weeks) and follow up (one month post intervention)

    Parents whose parental reflective function improved due to the intervention, measured using the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (Luyten et al., 2017)

  3. Parental Wellbeing

    Time frame: Measured at the beginning of the baseline and follow up (one month post intervention)

    Number of parents whose wellbeing improved when measured using the SWEMWBS (Tennanet et al., 2007).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Lincoln

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Nurtured Heart Parenting Intervention for Children's Behavioural Problems: A Single Case Design

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Jan 8, 2024
Registry last updated
Aug 5, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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