Optimizing Treatment for Depressed Parents of Children With Emotional and Behavioural Problems

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Depression / Major Depressive Disorder, Conduct Disorders in Children, Disruptive Behaviour in Children, Parenting Intervention

In brief

Standard Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is often less effective for parents experiencing depression. As such, the Addressing Depression and Positive Parenting Techniques (ADAPT) intervention is a novel BPT tailored to address the unique emotional and cognitive needs of depressed parents to improve treatment outcomes. The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of ADAPT in reducing child emotional and behavioral difficulties compared to the gold-standard Incredible Years Parenting Program (IYPP). This study is a 4-year, individually-randomized group treatment (IRGT), parallel-group trial. We aim to recruit 180 caregivers and their children (aged 6-11 years) seeking treatment for their child's emotional and behavioral difficulties from multiple mental health centres across Toronto, including but not limited to the University of Toronto, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and Women's College Hospital (WCH). Participants will be asked to complete research measures: * before randomization * post-treatment * 6 months after the end of treatment Participants will be randomized to either the experimental ADAPT intervention - A 10-session virtual program (1 individual, 9 group) focused on emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and cognitive restructuring, or the control intervention: Incredible Years Parent Program (IYPP) - A 12-session gold-standard BPT delivered virtually.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07749521

Run by

University of Toronto

People needed

180

Starts

2026-08-01

Expected to finish

2030-08-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-08-06

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• 18 years of age or above
• has a child aged 6-11 years with clinically elevated emotional and behavioural disorders (Abnormal Range, 93rd percentile) on the Total Difficulties Scale of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
• parent shows clinical elevations for mild-moderate depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) (>4 and <15)
• capacity to tolerate a virtual group context assessed by clinical interview

You may not qualify if…

• Parent shows active suicidal ideation, substance use disorder, or psychosis
• they cannot communicate in English
• child previously diagnosed with autism or an intellectual disability

Where it is running

• Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) — Toronto, Ontario, Canada (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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