The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of Primary Care Stepping Stones Triple P (PC-SS Triple P), an empirically supported parent mediated intervention, to improve the behavioral functioning of children newly diagnosed with Autism (aged 2-12 years), increase parental resilience and decrease parental stress.
Research literature exists on best practices for screening and diagnosing children with Autism. However, less is known about how to intervene with the child's parent. Across studies, relative to parents of children without disabilities, parents of children with Autism have reported higher levels of stress and lower levels of parenting competence. Such stress places children at risk for adverse developmental outcomes The proposed study aims to determine the effectiveness of Primary Care Stepping Stones Triple P (PC-SS Triple P), an empirically supported parent mediated intervention, to improve the behavioral functioning of children newly diagnosed with Autism (aged 2-12 years), increase parental resilience and decrease parental stress. The specific hypotheses include: 1. Children whose parents receive PC-SS Triple P will demonstrate significantly greater improvements in their behavioral functioning than children of parents receiving Wait-list Control (WLC) at service closure. 2. At service closure, parents receiving the PC-SS Triple P intervention will be more resilient and demonstrate lower levels of stress than parents in the Wait-List Control (WLC) condition. 3. Parenting resilience and levels of parental stress will be positively associated with improvements in child behavior. Seventy-six parents of children newly diagnosed with Autism will be randomized into one of two conditions: a) PC-SS Triple P (N=38) or b) Wait List Control (WLC; N=38). Study data will be collected with the assistance of a data collector appropriately trained in human subject rights protections. It is anticipated that the present project will assist in the development and use of evidence-based practices for working with parents of children newly diagnosed with Autism within pediatric settings.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
26
PC-SS Triple P is a parenting and family support strategy that aims to prevent and treat behavioral problems in children by enhancing parental resilience.
Treatment as Usual for 4 weeks
Saint Louis University, Knights of Columbus Developmental Center
St Louis, Missouri, United States
Change from Baseline in Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory Score at 4 weeks
Measure conduct problem behavior in children between the ages of 2 and 16 years.
Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
Change from Baseline in Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale Score at 4 weeks
General scale of resilience in adult populations with a bias towards coping with stress and adversity.
Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
Change from Baseline in Parent Stress Index - Short Form Score at 4 weeks
Sources and different types of stress that every parent can experience. Provides information in 4 specific domains of parenting stress: 1. Parental Distress, 2. Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction, 3. Difficult Child, and 4. Total Stress.
Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
Change from Baseline in Family Assessment Device score at 4 weeks
Assesses family functioning on six different dimensions: 1. Problem Solving (ability to resolve problems), 2. Communication (exchange of clear and direct verbal information), 3. Roles (division of responsibility for completing family tasks), 4. Affective Responsiveness (ability to respond with appropriate emotion), 5. Affective Involvement (degree to which family members are involved and interested in one another), and 6. Behavior Control (manner used to express and maintain standards of behavior).
Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
Change from Baseline in Aberrant Behavior Checklist Score at 4 weeks
Assesses behavior problems in individuals with developmental disabilities across 5 domains: 1. Irritability and Agitation (15 items) 2. Lethargy and Social Withdrawal (16 items) 3. Stereotypic Behavior (7 items) 4. Hyperactivity and Noncompliance (16 items) and 5. Inappropriate Speech (4 items).
Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
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Change from Baseline in The Parenting Scale Score at 4 weeks
Measures dysfunctional discipline styles in parents by asking about the probability with which the parent uses particular discipline strategies. It yields four scores: 1. Total score, 2. Laxness (permissive, inconsistent discipline); 3. Over-reactivity (harsh, emotional, authoritarian discipline and irritability); and 4. Verbosity/Hostility (use of verbal or physical force).
Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
Change from Baseline in the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale Score at 4 weeks
Measures parents' sense of confidence and satisfaction with their parenting and their self-efficacy in the parenting role.
Time frame: Baseline and 4 weeks