SBIR-STTR Award

Research has found that parent-targeted interventions were effective to ameliorate Conduct Disorders and other comorbid conditions (e.g. substance abuse). There exist major obstacles to the effective delivery of support services, particularly in rural areas. Ethnic minority populations are especially disadvantaged with respect to risk for child behavioral problems, barriers to participation, and access to culturally sensitive interventions. In addition, the meteoric rise of internet use has created a new avenue to disseminate and share empirically validated programs. Internet programs open the opportunity for technology based multimedia intervention through programs that can be interactive and provide social support from peers and professionals. Through the use of recent advances in multimedia technology and software, as well as the rise of computer and internet use, there now exists an opportunity to provide such remote support for families in rural locations. Parenting Wisely (PW; Gordon, 2000) is a computer-based intervention approach designed to prevent and treat disruptive behavior problems that often co-occur with drug abuse. This model lends itself to dissemination in that it fits easily into existing HMO, and EAP mental health service delivery models, bypassing many of the current mental health and social service systems barriers. PW was originally delivered on CD-ROM and has been translated to an internet-based delivery system and has been shown to effectively reduce child problem behaviors and improve parenting skills This research will increase PW's appeal and effectiveness by revising the videos to increase the relevance and diversity of parenting examples, thereby enhancing the potential wider implementation and keeping an evidence-based practice fresh and relevant. The proposed research will evaluate the use of the revised PW to Hispanic, African-American & non-Hispanic White parents enrolled in community agencies providing services to families with youth ages 10 through 17 at significant risk for drug abuse and diagnosed with disruptive behavioral disorders. The Phase I activities will include the development as well as a pilot of the web-based program with a culturally diverse sample of parents to assess feasibility with regard to ease-of-use of the website, understanding of concepts, satisfaction with format and content. We will assess user satisfaction, comprehension, receptivity, parents' rating of child behavior, family functioning, parenting practices, and parent self-efficacy. Comprehension and learning will serve as an additional outcome to guide further research and development.

Public Health Relevance:
Delivery of parenting skills training to manage teen problem behavior using technology via the internet & interactive CD-Rom has produced strong outcomes at low cost using the Parenting Wisely (PW) program. This project will increase PW's appeal and effectiveness by revising the videos to increase the relevance and diversity of parenting examples, thereby enhancing the potential wider implementation and keeping an evidence-based practice fresh and relevant.

Public Health Relevance:
PROJECT NARRATIVE/PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE STATEMENT Delivery of parenting skills training to manage teen problem behavior using technology via the internet & interactive CD-Rom has produced strong outcomes at low cost using the Parenting Wisely (PW) program. This project will increase PW's appeal and effectiveness by revising the videos to increase the relevance and diversity of parenting examples, thereby enhancing the potential wider implementation and keeping an evidence-based practice fresh and relevant.

Thesaurus Terms:
There Are No Thesaurus Terms On File For This Project.

Research has shown that parent-targeted interventions are effective in ameliorating conduct disorders, substance abuse, HIV-risk, and related adolescent problem behaviors. During periods of economic turmoil, however, major obstacles such as affordability impede the effective delivery of support services. Ethnic minorities are especially disadvantaged with respect to risk for child behavioral problems, treatment barriers, and access to culturally sensitive interventions. The meteoric rise of Internet use and recent advance in multimedia technology and software combine to create new opportunities for disseminating evidence-based practices. Parenting Wisely (PW;Gordon, 2000) is a computer-based intervention designed to prevent and treat child disruptive behavior problems. This evidence-based approach fits easily into existing juvenile justice, health, education, and mental health service delivery systems, bypassing many of the current barriers to care. Our Phase I SBIR study focused on revising and enhancing PW with more culturally relevant content and imagery to broaden its appeal to ethnically diverse populations. The findings revealed substantial improvements on virtually all measures of parenting and child behavior and outcomes at 6 months were highly significant and clinically meaningful. This Phase II study is designed to broaden the appeal and potential reach of PW through a formal randomized trial conducted in collaboration with the juvenile justice system (JJS), the primary market for such a program. Parents of 450 delinquent receiving JJS services as usual (SAU) will be randomly assigned to: PW plus a social networking online discussion forum, PW alone, or SAU. PW is the first online skill-building parent training program to examine effectiveness across different ethnic cultural groups and offers a brief, low cost, accessible approach that could be easily and quickly implemented and sustained in JJS settings. As such, the potential impact for marketing PW and reducing child behavior problems is considerable. Phase II activities will include the development of a moderated online forum to increase parental social support and skill acquisition. We will also determine the potential marketability of the PW intervention to JJS programs based on the effects of PW on parent report and direct observation measures of parenting behaviors, adolescent behaviors, and family functioning, as well as measures of recidivism and cost savings. User satisfaction, program comprehension, receptivity, and parent self-efficacy will also be assessed.

Public Health Relevance:
In the current context of limited resources, demand for services for youth disruptive behaviors such as drug abuse and delinquency, increasing burdens on state budgets, and significant economic turmoil, there is a clear need for identifying and implementing accessible, low cost, effective interventions that can be transported easily into community settings. The evaluation of the newly revised, culturally diverse Parenting Wisely, a web- based interactive parenting skills training program to reduce adolescent problem behaviors, will establish empirical evidence for a highly accessible intervention that can be widely and quickly disseminated with significant public health benefits and reduced societal cost.