Using a Mobile App to Support Parents of Children with Behavior Problems

Abstract

Evidence-based mental health services are difficult to access; telehealth and mobile health hold promise by removing barriers to traditional clinic-based interventions and enabling broader access. Behavioral parent training (BPT) is an evidence-based treatment for child disruptive behaviors. This project examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of using a mobile BPT app, Treks, with families as a standalone treatment (Study 1) or in combination with brief clinician consultation (Study 2). Study 1 participants included 20 caregivers of children with challenging behaviors who engaged with Treks for four weeks. Study 2 participants included 26 caregivers of autistic children with behavioral concerns; all parents received a one-session telehealth consultation followed by random assignment to four weeks of Treks engagement (Treks; n = 14) or access to online resources (consultation control: CC; n = 12). Across both studies, Treks was rated positively and was reported by parents as acceptable and appropriate for their concerns, as well as adequately feasible. In Study 1, 60% of participants fully completed Treks and 83% of completers showed reliable improvement in at least one main outcome (parenting stress, parent sense of competence, and child behavior problems). In study 2, there were significant improvements in Treks but not CC participants, showing moderate-to-large decreases in child disruptive behaviors and parent stress and increases in parent-perceived competency. Mobile app-delivered BPT has the capacity to support families as a feasible and acceptable standalone treatment and should be considered as part of a stepped-care approach or for families who cannot access clinician-delivered BPT.