The primary purpose of this study was to test whether conducting a brief motivational interview that focused on perceived barriers to treatment seeking would increase the likelihood that a parent with psychiatric problems would seek treatment for themselves.

The primary aim of this study was to test a method for increasing adherence to treatment recommendations for parents of children with emotional/behavior problems. Mental health problems in parents can be a serious risk factor for psychiatric and medical problems in children, yet most parents of children receiving services for mental health or medical problems do not get treatment for their own problems. The specific aim of this study was to increase parents' adherence to recommendations for treatment. Parents were randomly assigned to either the Enhanced Motivational Intervention (EMI) or an information only control group. The EMI involves motivational interviewing comprised of a brief intervention that elicits the parents' "story," provides education about their problem(s), describes the potential link between parents' and children's symptoms, assesses their prior treatment history, expectations, and concerns about treatment, identifies potential barriers to treatment seeking, and determines the next step. Evaluations at baseline and 8-weeks and 4-months post intervention will assess parents' symptoms, functioning, and service utilization. The investigators hypothesized that adherence to treatment recommendations would be significantly greater for parents in the EMI group compared to parents in the control group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Parent or guardian of a child who is receiving services for emotional or behavioral problems.
• Must have legal custody of the child

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current psychosis

No plan to share the data at this time

Evaluators were unaware of condition assignment