Parent Training via Internet or in Group for Disruptive Behaviors: A Randomized Clinical Noninferiority Trial

Johanna Engelbrektsson; Sigrid Salomonsson; Jens Högström; Kimmo Sorjonen; Knut Sundell; Martin Forster

doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2023.01.019

Parent Training via Internet or in Group for Disruptive Behaviors: A Randomized Clinical Noninferiority Trial

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2023 Sep;62(9):987-997. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.01.019. Epub 2023 Feb 28.

Authors

Johanna Engelbrektsson¹, Sigrid Salomonsson², Jens Högström², Kimmo Sorjonen³, Knut Sundell⁴, Martin Forster³

Affiliations

¹ Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. Electronic address: johanna.engelbrektsson@ki.se.
² Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm, Sweden.
³ Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
⁴ Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, Stockholm, Sweden.

PMID: 36863414
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.01.019

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate if an internet-delivered parent training program is noninferior to its group-delivered counterpart in reducing child disruptive behavior problems (DBP).

Method: This noninferiority randomized clinical trial enrolled families seeking treatment in primary care in Stockholm, Sweden, for DBP in a child 3-11 years of age. Participants were randomized to internet-delivered (iComet) or group-delivered (gComet) parent training. The primary outcome was parent-rated DBP. Assessments were made at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months. Secondary outcomes included child and parent behaviors and well-being and treatment satisfaction. The noninferiority analysis was determined by a one-sided 95% CI of the mean difference between gComet and iComet using multilevel modeling.

Results: This trial included 161 children (mean age 8.0); 102 (63%) were boys. In both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses, iComet was noninferior to gComet. There were small differences in between-group effect sizes (d = -0.02 to 0.13) on the primary outcome with the upper limit of the one-sided 95% CI below the noninferiority margin at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. Parents were more satisfied with gComet (d = 0.49, 95% CI [0.26, 0.71]). At 3-month follow-up, there were also significant differences in treatment effect on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms (d = 0.34, 95% CI [0.07, 0.61]) and parenting behavior (d = 0.41, 95% CI [0.17, 0.65]) favoring gComet. At 12-month follow-up, there were no differences in any outcomes.

Conclusion: Internet-delivered parent training was noninferior to group-delivered parent training in reducing child DBP. The results were maintained at 12-month follow-up. This study supports internet-delivered parent training being used as an alternative to group-delivered parent training in clinical settings.

Clinical trial registration information: Randomized Controlled Trial of Comet via the Internet or in Group Format; https://www.

Clinicaltrials: gov/; NCT03465384.

Keywords: disruptive behavior; internet-based intervention; noninferiority trial; parenting; randomized controlled trial.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity*
Child
Female
Humans
Internet
Male
Parenting
Parents / education
Problem Behavior*
Sweden

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT03465384