Optimizing Residential Treatment Gains for Adolescents

Optimizing Residential Treatment Gains for Adolescents Through Tailored Behavioral Parent Training

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a web-based parent training augmented with facilitated parent groups. This hybrid group-based parenting program (called Parenting Wisely for Residential Treatment; PWRT) is designed to prepare parents for the reintegration of their adolescents in the home after intensive psychiatric residential treatment. Researchers will compare PWRT to treatment as usual to determine whether PWRT effects target mechanisms (i.e., family function, social support, parental self-efficacy, parenting practices) and adolescent outcomes (i.e., internalizing and externalizing behaviors, placement restrictiveness).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Parenting; Mental Disorder in Adolescence; Adolescent - Emotional Problem
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Parenting Wisely Residential Treatment (PWRT); Behavioral: TAU

Detailed Description

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) design is employed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, engagement of target mechanisms, and preliminary effects of PWRT in parents with adolescents transitioning from residential treatment (RT) to the community. Parents (n=60) will be randomly assigned to receive Parenting Wisely augmented with facilitated discussion groups (referred to as PWRT; n=30) or treatment-as-usual (TAU; n=30). In the PWRT condition, parents will complete 2 web-based modules in an online parent training program called Parenting Wisely. Parents will also attend a 90-minute discussion group via Zoom. The RCT will allow for testing of target mechanism engagement (i.e., parental self-efficacy, parenting behaviors, social support, family function) and the intervention's effects on adolescent outcomes (i.e., internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, placement restrictiveness). Parents will complete assessments at baseline (T1), six weeks post-baseline (T2), and six months post-baseline (T3) via REDCap. While adolescents (n=60) will not directly receive the intervention, they will complete assessments at baseline, six weeks post-baseline (T2), and six months post-baseline (T3).

Aim 1: Evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of PWRT. 1a. Evaluate the feasibility of PWRT by tracking the frequency, dose, and duration. 1b. Evaluate the acceptability of PWRT for parents with adolescents in RT.

Aim 2: Determine the effects of PWRT on the target mechanisms compared to the TAU condition from baseline to 6-weeks and 6-months post-baseline.

Aim 3: Determine the effects of PWRT on adolescent outcomes compared to the TAU condition from baseline to 6-weeks and 6-months post-baseline. 3a. Determine if changes in the target mechanisms are associated with adolescent outcomes at six weeks and six months post-baseline.

Exploratory Aim: Explore the feasibility of collecting data from adolescents in an RT facility by tracking frequency (recruitment, enrollment, retention rates), duration (time between parent consent and assent; survey duration), and barriers to data collection.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 69
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Ohio
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • Ohio State University College of Nursing

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 11 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Parent Inclusion Criteria:

• Caregiver (e.g., biological, step, kin, foster, adoptive) to an adolescent aged 11-17 years old admitted to psychiatric residential treatment;
• The caregiver is allowed contact with the adolescent;
• Has access to a device (e.g., smartphone) with internet access.

Adolescent Inclusion Criteria:

• Ability to understand and willingness to provide written assent
• Legal guardian provides written consent;
• Currently or previously admitted to psychiatric residential treatment
• Aged 11-17 years at enrollment;

Parent and Adolescent Exclusion Criteria:

- Not able to speak English

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Parenting Wisely Residential Treatment (PWRT) - Parents; In the PWRT condition, parents will complete a total of ten web-based modules in an online parent training program called Parenting Wisely. Each week, parents will also attend a 90-minute facilitated discussion group via Zoom. Parents will complete assessments at baseline (T1), six weeks post-baseline (T2), and six months post-baseline (T3) via REDCap. While adolescents (n=60) will not directly receive the intervention, they will complete assessments at baseline, six weeks post-baseline (T2), and six months post-baseline (T3).This arm includes only parent respondents.	Behavioral: Parenting Wisely Residential Treatment (PWRT); PWRT experimental intervention; Other Names: PW; Parenting Wisely
Placebo Comparator: Treatment as Usual (TAU) - Parents; The TAU condition is the standard of care offered to parents in RT settings. Parents in the TAU condition will receive traditional programming, including family therapy offered weekly during the RT admission. Parents will attend discharge planning meetings with caseworkers (if assigned) to discuss the adolescent's progress, continued treatment needs, safety plans, upcoming appointments, and medication needs. Following discharge, programs frequently recommend follow-up with an outpatient provider for medication management and therapy for the adolescent. Parents will complete assessments at baseline (T1), six weeks post-baseline (T2), and six months post-baseline (T3) via REDCap. While adolescents (n=60) will not directly receive the intervention, they will complete assessments at baseline, six weeks post-baseline (T2), and six months post-baseline (T3). This arm includes only parent respondents.	Behavioral: TAU; The TAU condition is the standard of care offered to parents in RT settings.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Group Attendance (Feasibility)	The mean number of groups attended by parent participants in the PWRT arm.	Mean calculated at 6-weeks post-baseline
Group Duration (Feasibility)	The mean amount of time parent participants spent in a single session of the group.	Mean calculated at 6-weeks post-baseline
Module Duration (Feasibility)	The mean time parent participants spent completing one module in Parenting Wisely.	Mean calculated at 6-weeks post-baseline
Module Completion	Average number of modules parent participants completed over a 6 week intervention period The mean number of Modules participants completed in Parenting Wisely.	Mean calculated at 6-weeks post-baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) - Internalizing Behaviors	Adolescent internalizing behaviors will be assessed using the Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) for ages 6 to 18. There are two subscales on the BPM: internalizing and externalizing subscales. There are six items on the internalizing subscale with scores ranging from 0-12. Higher scores indicate greater internalizing behaviors, therefore worse outcomes. Change over time in the outcome measure is assessed by subtracting mean values at T1 from mean values at T2 and T3 respectively.	Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months; Change from baseline to 6 weeks; Change from baseline to 6-months post
Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) - Externalizing Behaviors	Adolescent externalizing behaviors will be assessed using the Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) for ages 6 to 18. There are two subscales on the BPM: internalizing and externalizing subscales. There are seven items on the externalizing subscale with scores ranging from 0-14. Higher scores indicate greater externalizing behaviors, therefore worse outcomes. Change over time in the outcome measure is assessed by subtracting mean values at T1 from mean values at T2 and T3 respectively.	Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months; Change from baseline to 6 weeks; Change from baseline to 6-months post
Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) - Total Score	Total adolescent behavior problems will be assessed using the Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) for ages 6 to 18. The BPM consists of 19 items derived from the Child Behavior Checklist. The total score includes internalizing, externalizing and inattention subscales which are summed. Internalizing behaviors is 6 items with scores ranging from 0-12, Externalizing is 7 items with scores ranging from 0-14, Inattention is 6 items with scores ranging from 0-12. Raw scores range from 0-38; higher scores indicate greater total behavior problems thereby worse outcomes. Change over time in the outcome measure is assessed by subtracting mean values at T1 from mean values at T2 and T3 respectively.	Baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months; Change from baseline to 6 weeks; Change from baseline to 6-months post

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ohio State University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Herbell K, Breitenstein SM, Tan A, Melnyk BM, Thai AT, Berger S. Families in transition (FIT) study protocol: feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects of a group-based parent training in parents of youth in psychiatric residential treatment. BMJ Open. 2024 May 30;14(5):e080603. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080603.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 31, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 2, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): June 2, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 13, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 1, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): March 10, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 31, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 6, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2022B0315

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Data from this study will be submitted to the National Institute of Mental Health Data Archive (NDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). If a participant consents to having their data deposited in the NDA, the study team will create a global unique identifier (GUID) using the NDA GUID Tool. The GUID Tool requires a participant's full name, birth date, city of birth, and sex at birth to generate an alphanumeric code that is used to identify a participant across studies. In this study, data that will be deposited will include primary outcomes measures such as The Brief Problem Monitor, the Restrictiveness Evaluation Measure, Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory, Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, and McMaster Family Assessment Device. See NDA for more details.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Raw experimental data (both baseline and longitudinal) will not be released/shared until publication or 12 months after the project end date, whichever comes first.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: The NIH will provide access to scientific investigators for research purposes. Qualified researchers who have completed a Data Use Certification and received approval from the NDA Data Access Committee (DAC) may be approved to access broadly shared data. A separate request process exists for access to data in federated sources. Additionally, the DAC and support staff at NIH have access to NDA shared data.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No