Supporting parents to improve preschool children's attention and behaviour

Enhancing Preschool Children's Attention and Behaviour: Parent-Focused Program

This program will try a parent-focused therapy combining DBT skills and parenting strategies with mothers who have depression to see if it reduces attention and behaviour problems in their 3–7-year-old children.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: Female
• Sponsor: McGill University (Academic / other)
• Locations: 2 sites (Winnipeg, Manitoba and 1 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT07083037 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

BRIDGE brings together Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills, behavior management, emotion socialization, and mindfulness parenting delivered to caregivers to target maternal psychological distress and promote child self-regulation. In this interventional project, mothers with clinically significant depressive symptoms and children aged 3–7 with elevated attention or behaviour problems are assigned to the BRIDGE program or a control condition. The study measures feasibility (attendance, satisfaction, unmet needs) and clinical outcomes using caregiver-reported tools such as the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist. The aim is to see whether a scalable dual-generation intervention can improve parental mental health, child self-regulation, and overall family well-being.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Mothers aged 18 or older who live in Quebec, Ontario, or Manitoba, speak English, have clinically significant depressive symptoms (mild to moderate on the PHQ, including symptoms during pregnancy or shortly after birth), and have a 3–7-year-old child with elevated attention and/or behaviour problems (CBCL ADHD T-score > 65 or clinician-confirmed issues) are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Families likely to receive little or no benefit include those outside the specified provinces, non-English speakers, mothers without clinically significant depression or whose children do not meet the elevated attention/behaviour threshold, and cases where the child's primary difficulties are severe neurodevelopmental disorders requiring specialized services.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, BRIDGE could improve mothers' mental health and children's self-regulation, leading to fewer attention and behaviour problems and better family functioning.

How similar studies have performed: Components of BRIDGE (DBT and evidence-based parenting programs) have shown benefits for parental mental health and child behaviour, and prior BRIDGE work has reported improvements in maternal depression and child outcomes.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

BRIDGE Therapy Group:

Participants are deemed eligible for the BRIDGE therapy group if they meet the following criteria:

1. Above the age of 18.
2. Self-identify as a mother of a child between the age of 3-7 years old.
3. Currently living in Quebec, Ontario, or Manitoba
4. Fluency in English.
5. Mothers must have clinically significant symptoms of depression (mild to moderate on the Patient Health Questionnaire and indicate symptoms to "somewhat cause difficulties") currently affecting them. Participants also need to report symptoms of depression during pregnancy or shortly after birth.
6. Their child has attention and/or behavior problems (T-score \> 65 on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) ADHD subscales) or confirmed attention and/or behavior problems through clinical interview.

Control Group:

Participants are deemed eligible for the Control group if they meet the following criteria:

1. Above the age of 18
2. Self-identify as a mother of a child between the age of 3-7 years old
3. Currently living in Quebec, Ontario, or Manitoba
4. Fluency in English or bilingual
5. Mothers must NOT have clinically significant symptoms of depression (mild to moderate on the Patient Health Questionnaire)
6. Their child DOES NOT have attention and/or behavior problems (T-score \> 65 on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) ADHD subscales).

Exclusion Criteria:

BRIDGE Therapy Group:

Participants were excluded if they A) did not meet the inclusion criteria listed above or B) were unable to attend the weekly BRIDGE group therapy sessions.

Furthermore, eligible participants were invited to complete a semi-structured intake interview with principal investigator (PI) Dr. Tasmia Hai or a graduate student trainee under Dr. Hai's supervision, during which further questions about their mental health and child behavior were asked to ensure their eligibility. Based on the clinical suitability interview, participants may be excluded if they are deemed to be ineligible based on A) the mother's absence of clinically significant mental health symptoms, and/or B) the child's absence of attention and/or behavior problems. When relevant, participants may be identified to participate in the control group instead if eligibility is met.

Control Group:

Participants were excluded if they did not meet the inclusion criteria listed above. Furthermore, eligible participants were invited to complete a semi-structured intake interview with principal investigator (PI) Dr. Tasmia Hai, during which further questions about their mental health and child behavior were asked to ensure their eligibility. Based on the clinical suitability interview, participants may be excluded if they are deemed to be ineligible based on a) the mother's presence of clinically significant mental health symptoms, and/or B) the child's presence of attention and/or behavior problems. When relevant, participants may be identified to participate in the BRIDGE therapy group instead if eligibility is met.

Where this trial is running

Winnipeg, Manitoba and 1 other locations

• University of Manitoba - Department of Psychology — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (Enrolling_by_invitation)
• McGill University - Department of Education and Counselling Psychology — Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Tasmia Hai, PhD

Conditions Maternal Depression; Self-Regulation, Emotion; Child Mental Disorder; Child Development; Attention Problems; Behaviour Problems; Parental Stress; maternal depression