Matching Assessment and Treatment for Children With Disruptive Behaviour and Their Parents

Matching Assessment and Treatment for Children With Disruptive Behaviour and Their Parents

This study will develop and test whether personalized profiles of children with Disruptive Behaviour Disorder (DBD) and their parents based on important psychological, emotional, and neuropsychological indicators predict their response to child cognitive behavioral treatment and Behavioral Parent Training.

To accomplish these goals, the investigators will collect psychological, emotional, and neuropsychological measures before and following cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for both children and parents. The investigators will use statistical modeling to determine profiles of parents of children and children aged 6-12 years with DBD based on key domains of mental health, emotion regulation, cognition, and parent-child behaviour, and observe whether these profiles allow the study team to predict which sub-groups of parents and children are most and least likely to benefit from child CBT and Behavioural Parent Training (BPT).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Child is borderline/clinically at risk on the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) or Teacher Report Form (TRF) (T-score greater than or equal to 60 on Externalizing Problems composite scale or a T-score greater than or equal to 65 on the Oppositional Defiant Disorder and/or Conduct Disorder scales)
• Child has clinically severe impairment in the interpersonal relations (greater than 3), functioning in schoolwork (greater than 3), or total domains (greater than 15) on the Columbia Impairment scale.
• Parent is able and willing to participate in a group treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Child has an ongoing query or diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Autism or Asperger's Disorder
• Evidence of cognitive delays or an intellectual disability (based on the Kauffman Brief Intelligence Test-2 (KBIT-2), verbal and/or IQ composite standard score below 80 or collateral information)
• Child behaviour or emotional functioning that make group participation not possible
• Child preference for individual treatment.
• Parent behaviour or emotional functioning that make group participation not possible
• Parent preference for individual treatment.