The Impact of Engagement, Single Parent Status, and Parental Anxiety on the Effectiveness of the Cool Little Kids Training: A study involving Dutch parents of behaviourally inhibited children who participated in an online preventive anxiety training

Childhood anxiety represents a significant mental health concern, with behavioural inhibition identified as a major risk factor. In Australia, the Cool Little Kids (CLK) training program has been proven to be an effective preventive intervention for parents of behaviourally inhibited children. Engagement is crucial to the success of parent training programs; however, measuring it can be a challenge. This study utilizes the constructs of ‘attendance’ and ‘within-session active participation’ to gauge engagement. Single parent status and parental anxiety seem to be associated with engagement and treatment outcome. The study hypothesized that attendance, within-session active participation, single parent status, and parental anxiety would serve as predictors of treatment outcomes. It also explored whether attendance and within-session active participation moderated the relationships between single parent status and treatment outcomes, as well as between parental anxiety symptoms and...Show moreChildhood anxiety represents a significant mental health concern, with behavioural inhibition identified as a major risk factor. In Australia, the Cool Little Kids (CLK) training program has been proven to be an effective preventive intervention for parents of behaviourally inhibited children. Engagement is crucial to the success of parent training programs; however, measuring it can be a challenge. This study utilizes the constructs of ‘attendance’ and ‘within-session active participation’ to gauge engagement. Single parent status and parental anxiety seem to be associated with engagement and treatment outcome. The study hypothesized that attendance, within-session active participation, single parent status, and parental anxiety would serve as predictors of treatment outcomes. It also explored whether attendance and within-session active participation moderated the relationships between single parent status and treatment outcomes, as well as between parental anxiety symptoms and treatment outcomes. The study involved 43 Dutch parents who participated in the intervention group of the longitudinal CLK research project, which examines the effectiveness of the CLK training delivered online in The Netherlands. Initial analyses included four univariate linear regressions, followed by four moderation analyses. The findings indicated that single parent status and parental anxiety are significant predictors of treatment outcomes. However, attendance and within-session active participation did not predict treatment outcomes, and no moderating effects were observed. Based on these findings, suggestions for future research and recommendations for the implementation of the CLK training are provided.Show less

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The Impact of Engagement, Single Parent Status, and Parental Anxiety on the Effectiveness of the Cool Little Kids Training: A study involving Dutch parents of behaviourally inhibited children who participated in an online preventive anxiety training