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Delivering Parent-Teen Therapy for ADHD through Videoconferencing: a Preliminary Investigation

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Abstract

Adolescents with ADHD demonstrate notoriously poor treatment utilization. Barriers to access have been partially addressed through tailored therapy content and therapist delivery style; yet, additional challenges to engaging this population remain. To leverage modern technology in support of this aim, the current study investigates parent-teen therapy for ADHD delivered over a videoconferencing format. In this preliminary feasibility study, teens and parents (N = 20) received an empirically supported dyadic therapy that incorporates skills-based modules with motivational interviewing. The videoconferencing interface was deemed feasible with nearly all families completing treatment. Acceptable therapeutic alliance was reported and key mechanisms of change were engaged (i.e., adolescent motivation to meet goals, parent strategy implementation). Families reported high satisfaction, despite minor disturbances associated with delivering therapy via videoconferencing. Treatment integrity and fidelity were acceptable, though slightly reduced compared to clinic-based trials of the same protocol. Therapists perceived that videoconferencing enhanced treatment for 50% of families. Reductions in participant ADHD symptoms and organization, time management, and planning problems from baseline to post-treatment were noted by parents and teachers. However, open trial results of this study should be interpreted with caution due to their uncontrolled and preliminary nature.

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Notes

  1. The STAND acronym originally stood for Supporting Teens’ Academic Needs Daily; however, the full name of the program was modified to Supporting Teens’ Autonomy Daily in 2016. This change was made to reflect the protocol’s breadth (academics is only one of several domains targeted) and central goal (building autonomy in teens with ADHD).

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Acknowledgements

This work was made possible by grants from the American Psychological Foundation and Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, AHC 1 Room 140, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Margaret H. Sibley

  2. Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    Jonathan S. Comer

  3. Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    Jaife Gonzalez

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  1. Margaret H. Sibley
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Correspondence to Margaret H. Sibley.

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This work was made possible by grants from the American Psychological Foundation and Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

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All procedures were approved by the university Institutional Review Board. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Margaret H. Sibley receives royalties from Guilford Press, Jonathan S. Comer and Jaife Gonzalez declares that they have no conflict of interest.

Appendix Individual graphs for participants on pre-post outcomes

Appendix Individual graphs for participants on pre-post outcomes

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Sibley, M.H., Comer, J.S. & Gonzalez, J. Delivering Parent-Teen Therapy for ADHD through Videoconferencing: a Preliminary Investigation. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 39, 467–485 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-017-9598-6

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