An Open Trial for an E-Health Treatment for Child Behavior Disorders I: Social Acceptability, Engagement, and Therapeutic Process

ABSTRACTThis nonrandomized trial aimed to demonstrate how an established evidence-based parenting intervention could be implemented in a telemental health environment. The study aimed to explore how socially acceptable the newly designed platform was and to explore parent satisfaction, engagement patterns, and process outcomes. The design was a 2 (group: clinic-based vs. e-health parenting intervention) × 3 (time: pre, post, and 3-month follow-up) repeated measures trial comparing families who received treatment online (N= 22) to a matched sample that received clinic-based treatment (N= 25). Participants were 47 families with a child between 3 and 12 years of age with a primary diagnosis of oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder. Parents in both groups indicated they were satisfied with treatment, with parents in the e-health group indicating the website was interesting, easy to use, efficient, and innovative. Parents agreed that they were engaged with therapy sessions regardless of the medium; however, clinicians indicated that clinic-based parents were more engaged. Parents’ ratings of the therapeutic alliance were equivalent between the two groups, whereas clinicians’ ratings were significantly higher for the e-health group. Overall clinicians indicated feeling more empowered and having higher self-efficacy to treat clinic-based families.