Free study to help children with behaviour problems

16 May 2011

Free study to help children with behaviour problems

Parents of young children displaying behaviour problems are being sought for a study by Victoria University’s Child Behaviour Group.

Researchers are looking for 28 parents with children aged three to six years old from Wellington to take part in the study. The study, partly funded by Victoria University, is being run in Wellington and Auckland.

Victoria University Associate Professor Karen Salmon, who heads-up the research project, says disruptive behaviour in young children can, in the long term, have significant social and human costs if not dealt with early.

Research shows that the early onset of behaviour and conduct problems in young children is later in life associated with substance abuse, suicide, mental health problems, ill-health, educational underachievement and poor quality relationships, she says.

“Young children displaying behavioural problems, such as difficulties following instructions and house rules, being defiant, talking back or arguing with adults, or being verbally or physically aggressive with others, typically show deficits in other areas of development. This includes their knowledge and regulation of emotions, and their ability to inhibit, control, and regulate their own behaviour,” says Dr Salmon.

“Behaviour difficulties in young children have been found to have a significant impact on a child’s social functioning and adjustment,” she says.

The study aims to test whether a well-established parenting programme, Group Triple P, has pervasive effects for children on other important developmental skills and areas of functioning, or whether a specifically-tailored adaptation is necessary for improvements to occur.

The parents and their child will be randomly divided into two groups, one will complete the parenting programme, Group Triple P, and the other the new “emotion-enhanced programme” which has an emphasis on strategies and examples to help teach children to manage and regulate their emotions.

The study requires one parent or caregiver to attend five two-hour group sessions, and to complete three 15-minute one-on-one phone consultations. Parents will also be asked to complete a series of questionnaires.

The group sessions are to be held at the Victoria University Kelburn campus, and at the Triple P research clinic at the Faculty of Education in Epsom.

To volunteer for the research project contact Karen Salmon on (wgtn) 463 9528 or Rebecca Burson on (wgtn) 463 8233 ext 8074. They can also be contacted by email: positive-parenting[at]vuw.ac.nz

About Group Triple P
The Triple P - Positive Parenting Program runs internationally recognised parenting programmes developed on 30 years of research.

Fifty-six parents are needed for the study, 28 for the Auckland based study and 28 for the Wellington based study.

As part of the study the child’s vocabulary, ability to regulate their behaviour, and their understanding of emotions will be assessed before and after the study. The assessments are designed especially for young children and involve looking at pictures, playing with puppets and playing games.

ENDS

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