Evaluating a Two-Step Care Program for Children and Teens Aged 8 to 16 With Anger, Defiant, or Aggressive Behavior

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a stepped care model for children and adolescents aged 8 to 16 years who exhibit defiant or aggressive behavior problems. The study focuses on families dealing with conditions like oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and related behavioral challenges. It seeks to understand how different interventions impact childrens behavior, emotional wellbeing, and family dynamics, as well as the cost-effectiveness of these treatments. The stepped care model involves two steps. First, all parents receive a 5-week internet-based parenting support program based on cognitive behavioral therapy principles. Families needing further help after this step are randomized into one of three groups a cognitive behavioral therapy CBT program with virtual reality VR for parents a CBT-VR intervention for childrenyouth involving up to 10 individual weekly face-to-face sessions or standard interventions and support at the familys clinic alongside continued access to the internet-based program. After this, families may choose to access CBT-VR for parents or children. Participants will be assessed through validated questionnaires completed by parents and children before, during, and after each intervention, including follow-ups six months after the final treatment. Researchers will measure changes in behavioral problems, emotional wellbeing, parenting strategies, family warmth and conflicts, and parental emotion regulation. Qualitative interviews will explore experiences of the interventions. The study will analyze these data to evaluate both immediate and longer-term effects and the overall impact on child behavior and family wellbeing.

Step-by-Step: Evaluation of a Stepped Care Model