PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT; WILL IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Research has shown that parental factors contribute to the maintenance as well as the development of childhood anxiety and depression. Therefore, involvement of parents in treatment of childhood anxiety and depression has been included in many manuals. Focusing on positive parenting, altering negativity and distorted cognitions in parents have been hypothesized to increase effect of treatment. Effects of parental involvement in treatment are, however, ambiguous (Breinholst, Esbjorn, Reinholdt-Dunne, & Stallard, 2012; Silverman, Pina, & Viswesvaran, 2008). One metanalysis study shows a possibly positive effect of involving parents in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) interventions for depression and anxiety in children (Brendel & Maynard, 2014), while another meta-analysis indicate only a small non-significant effect in favor of treatments including only the child (Thulin, Svirsky, Serlachius, Andersson, & Ost, 2014). The reasons for these ambiguous results may partly stem from methodological issues and the relevance of included components (Breinholst et al., 2012), but also because change usually is measured through diagnostic or symptomatic change in children, rather than measuring the factor’s it is supposed to change; parental and family functioning. Also, most studies investigate this in relation to children with established anxiety or depressive disorders, therefore the effects of parental involvement in children with subclinical symptoms of anxiety and depression is largely unknown. In first line services resources are scarce, and in busy times parents may find it difficult to attend meetings. Including only components known to enhance effect seems important. The ECHO study is designed to investigate the effects of parental involvement on child symptoms, but also on parent and family functioning. Half the included children will receive a parental involvement component while for the other half parents will only receive a brochure describing anxiety, depression and parenting. The mechanisms and possible effects of this will be discussed at the symposium.