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The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)

Topic Areas
Scientific Rating
Child Welfare Relevance
Disruptive Behavior Treatment (Child & Adolescent)
3  — Promising Research Evidence
Medium
Parent Training Programs that Address Behavior Problems in Children and Adolescents
3  — Promising Research Evidence
Medium

About This Program

Target Population: Parents/caregivers of young children (ages 3-6 ) in higher risk families or who are exhibiting high rates of conduct problems, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or developmental delay

For parents/caregivers of children ages: 3 – 6

Program Overview

The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) is a group-based parent curriculum based on video modeling designed to strengthen parent-child interactions and attachment; reduce harsh discipline; foster parents' ability to promote children's social, emotional, and language development; and reduce externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Parents learn how to build school readiness skills and are encouraged to partner with teachers and day care professionals so they can promote children's emotional self-regulation and social skills. Lastly, the program focuses on increasing parents' self-regulation skills and social support.

Program Goals

The goals of The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) are:

For parents:

  • Build a positive parent-child relationship and attachment
  • Learn how to use academic, persistent, social, and emotional coaching
  • Increase attention to, encouragement of, and praise to child
  • Learn how to use spontaneous incentives and incentive systems to target specific positive behaviors
  • Learn how to set up clear and predictable routines and rules
  • Learn how to use positive discipline techniques such as redirection, clear commands, ignoring, logical consequence, and Time Out
  • Learn how to use the least restrictive discipline strategy first
  • Learn how to teach their children to self-regulate and problem solve when in conflictual situations
  • Learn self-regulation and self-talk strategies to manage their strong emotions

For children:

  • Strength language, pre-academic and academic readiness
  • Enhance self-regulation
  • Build social competence
  • Increase positive behaviors
  • Decrease negative behaviors

Logic Model

View the Logic Model for The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment).

Essential Components

The essential components of The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) include:

  • Group-based parent intervention for groups of 8-12 families, co-led by 2 group leaders in weekly 2- to 2.5-hour sessions (14-20 weeks)
  • Group leaders use a parent self-reflective, collaborative approach in which parents set their own goals and are experts in their own children. Group leaders present material about child development and research-based developmentally appropriate parenting strategies. Parents and leaders discuss this material together, finding ways to incorporate the key parenting principles into parents’ own goals, cultural context, and child’s development.
  • Program ideas are presented through a series of video vignettes that show a diverse selection of families in common parent-child interactions. Parents discuss what is effective and not effective in these interactions and then role play scenarios to practice how they would use the more effective parenting strategies with their own children.
  • Parents are assigned weekly home activities which include practicing new strategies with their children and reading from the Incredible Years Parent textbook. Parents report back each week to share what worked and to problem-solve barriers.
  • Parents complete weekly self-monitoring checklists and short-term goals
  • The program incorporates behavioral, cognitive, and affective parenting responses. Parents are taught how to reflect on how their thoughts and feelings impact their behavioral response with their children. Parents are taught self-regulation strategies and how to focus on positive coping thoughts.
  • The program is based on the model of a pyramid with the first half of the program focused on skills that are represented in the lower half of the pyramid (positive parenting skills used frequently to build up children’s positive behavior and parent-child attachment). The second half of the program focuses on reducing problematic child behaviors with positive discipline strategies that are used strategically, as needed.
  • Parent-child attachment is stressed during the first half of the program as parents are taught how to interact with their children in child-directed play times and to use academic, persistence, social, and emotional coaching.
  • During the 2nd half of the program parents learn a hierarchy of respectful and responsive discipline starting with the least intrusive approaches
  • The program has extensive material to support high fidelity implementation including:
    • A detailed manual
    • Video vignettes
    • Posters
    • Handouts for parents
    • A parent book
    • A therapist book
  • Group leaders are expected to collect weekly session evaluations from parents and to use this information to refine their practice. The program also provides detailed final evaluations including preassessments and postassessments of parenting practices.

Program Delivery

Parent/Caregiver Services

The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

  • Parent or caregiver of a child with conduct problems, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), ADHD, mild autism spectrum disorders, speech/language delays, internalizing problems, or emotion-regulation difficulties
  • Parent or caregiver who is at higher risk because of poverty, parent mental health, and/or substance abuse issues
  • Parent or caregiver who is involved in Child Welfare System
Services Involve Family/Support Structures:

This program involves the family or other support systems in the individual's treatment: All caregivers of the child are invited to participate in the group—for example grandparents or regular caregivers may attend groups with primary parent. Teachers are invited to participate with the parents and therapist in developing a coordinated behavior plan for the child.

Recommended Intensity:

2-hour weekly sessions

Recommended Duration:

5 months

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

  • Adoptive Home
  • Birth Family Home
  • Community Daily Living Setting
  • Foster / Kinship Care
  • Hospital
  • Outpatient Clinic
  • Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider
  • Group or Residential Care
  • Public Child Welfare Agency (Dept. of Social Services, etc.)
  • Shelter (Domestic Violence, Homeless, etc.)
  • Virtual (Online, Telephone, Video, Zoom, etc.)

Homework

The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) includes a homework component:

Parents/caregivers are given weekly home assignments. These involve a reading assignment from the parent textbook, practice activities to do with the child, and record sheets to record activities with the child and weekly buddy calls.

Languages

The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) has materials available in languages other than English:

Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

For information on which materials are available in these languages, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

  • Equipment to play videos (this may include computer, projector, large screen, TV, DVD player, USB port, or internet access for video streaming—depends on format of videos purchased)
  • Room large enough for 10-12 parents and two group leaders
  • Room for childcare (should be provided for high-risk groups and as needed)
  • Snacks or meal for parents (and children are they are in childcare)
  • Easels and flip chart paper
  • Stickers and incentives for parents
  • Curriculum set
  • Books for parents
  • Handouts for parents

Manuals and Training

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

All group leaders must have background in child development, knowledge of effective parenting practices, and collaborative style in working with parents. It is preferred that group leaders have at least an MA in a helping profession (e.g., psychology, education, nursing, social work, etc.) and also should have clinical experience with the referred populations (e.g., children with conduct problems, families involved in child welfare).

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Program Manual(s)

Manual details:

  • Webster-Stratton, C. (2007). The Incredible Years parent training manual: BASIC Program. Incredible Years Press.

The program manual is included with the Basic Preschool Curriculum set or can be ordered separately from this webpage: https://www.incredibleyears.com/order/

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Training Contact:
Training Type/Location:

Individuals can sign up for training through Incredible Years. There are online and in-person options: https://www.incredibleyears.com/training/upcoming

Training can also be obtained for an agency. There are on-line options (up to 15 people in a training) and on-site in-person options (up to 25 people): https://www.incredibleyears.com/training/host

Number of days/hours:

In-person training: 3 days, 18 total contact hours Online training: 5 sessions, 3.25 hours per session

Implementation Information

Pre-Implementation Materials

There are pre-implementation materials to measure organizational or provider readiness for The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) as listed below:

Agency Readiness

Cost Planning Sheet

Formal Support for Implementation

There is formal support available for implementation of The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) as listed below:

Following initial group leader training, on-going consultation is highly recommended. Supervision and consultation are provided by accredited trainers from the Incredible Years administrative office. Agencies can also nominate accredited group leaders to be considered for further training as Peer Coaches (who can offer coaching to newer group leaders in their own agency) or Mentors (who can offer accredited training within their own agency). Peer Coaches and Mentors go through extensive selection, training, and accreditation processes.

On-going support and consultation are available in the following ways:

  • Consultation Zoom sessions:
    • For small groups of leaders
    • Includes review of video from sessions, role play, and discussion
    • Recommended 3-4 times during each group led by a nonaccredited group leader
  • Half- or full-day group consultations:
    • Offered in person or online (via Zoom)
    • Groups of 6-8 group leaders
    • Video review and peer support
    • Recommended 1-2 times per year (for both accredited and nonaccredited group leaders)
  • Accreditation process:
    • Video review to evaluate leader’s proficiency in program
    • Paperwork to indicate whether leader is doing the program with fidelity
    • Leaders who pass the accreditation process are deemed to be doing the program in the way that it was intended

Fidelity Measures

There are fidelity measures for The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) as listed below:

A process checklist is available that is designed to be completed by group leaders as a self-assessment or by trained mentors who are giving feedback to group leaders on their implementation of the program. The checklists cover all skills that a group leader needs to demonstrate to do the program with fidelity. There is a Likert-type rating scale for most questions so that it can be used to measure fidelity in quantitative research.

A self-evaluation is completed by group leaders to reflect on their collaborative leadership style.

These fidelity measures are not required in order to implement the program, but they are required for group leaders who which to be accredited/certified in the program.

Implementation Guides or Manuals

There are no implementation guides or manuals for The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment).

Implementation Cost

There have been studies of the costs of implementing The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) which are listed below:

Olchowski, A. E., Foster, E. M., & Webster-Stratton, C. H. (2007). Implementing behavioral intervention components in a cost-effective manner: Analysis of the Incredible Years program. Journal of Early and Intensive Behavior Intervention, 4(1), 284–304. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0100345

Research on How to Implement the Program

Research has been conducted on how to implement The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) as listed below:

Eames, C., Daley, D., Hutchings, J., Whitaker, C. J., Jones, K., Hughes, J. C., & Bywater, T. (2009). Child: Care, Health and Development, 35(5), 603–612. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2009.00975.

Webster-Stratton, C. (1990). Enhancing the effectiveness of self-administered videotape parent training for families with conduct-problem children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 18, 479–492. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00911103

Webster-Stratton, C. (1984). Randomized trial of two parent-training programs for families with conduct-disordered children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52(4), 666–678. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.52.4.666

Webster-Stratton, C., Kolpacoff, M., & Hollinsworth, T. (1988). Self-administered videotape therapy for families with conduct-problem children: Comparison with two cost-effective treatments and a control group. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56(4), 558–566. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.56.4.558

Webster-Stratton, C. H., Reid, J., & Marsenich, L. (2014). Improving therapist fidelity during implementation of evidence-based practices: Incredible Years Program. Psychiatric Services, 65(6), 789–795. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201200177

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being

The CEBC reviews all of the articles that have been published in peer-reviewed journals as part of the rating process. When there are more than 10 published, peer-reviewed articles, the CEBC identifies the most relevant articles, with a focus on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled studies that have an impact on the rating. The articles chosen for The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment) are summarized below:

Hutchings, J., Bywater, T., Daley, D., Gardner, F., Whittaker, C., Jones, K., Eames, C., & Edwards, R. T. (2007). Parenting intervention in Sure Start services for children at risk of developing conduct disorder: Pragmatic randomised controlled trial. BMJ, 334(7595), 678–681. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39126.620799.55

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 153 families

Population:

  • Age — Parents: Mean=27.61 years; Children: 36–59 months
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — Parents: 100% Female: Children: Not Specified
  • Status — Participants were parents from socially disadvantaged areas, with children at risk of conduct disorder as defined by scores over the clinical cut off on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory.

Location/Institution: Eleven Sure Start areas in North and Mid-Wales, United Kingdom

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IY PT) program [now called The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)] as a preventive intervention with parents of preschool children considered to be at risk of developing conduct disorder. Participants were randomly allocated to either IY PT intervention or to a waiting list (WL) control group. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Conners Abbreviated Parent Rating Scale (CAPRS), the Kendall Self-Control Rating Scale (SCRS), and the Dyadic Parent–Child Interaction Coding System–Revised (DPICS–R). Results indicate at follow-up, most of the measures of parenting and problem behavior in children showed significant improvement in the IY PT intervention group. The intention-to-treat analysis for the primary outcome measure, the ECBI, showed a mean difference between groups of 4.4 points. Limitations included the reliance on self-reported measures and the lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Jones, K., Daley, D., Hutchings, J., Bywater, T., & Eames, C. (2007). Efficacy of the Incredible Years Basic parent training programme as an early intervention for children with conduct problems and ADHD. Child: Care, Health and Development, 33(6), 749–756. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2007.00747.x

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 133 families

Population:

  • Age — Parents: Mean=27.61 years; Children: Mean=46.28 months
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — Parents: 100% Female; Children: Not Specified
  • Status — Participants were preschool children displaying signs of both early-onset conduct problems and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Location/Institution: 11 communities in North- and Mid-Wales, United Kingdom

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Hutchings et al. (2007). The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of the Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IY PT) program [now called The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)] for a community-based sample of families with preschool children at risk of developing both conduct problems and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants were randomly allocated to either the IY PT intervention, or to a waiting list (WL) control group. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Conners Abbreviated Parent Rating Scale (CAPRS), and the Dyadic Parent–Child Interaction Coding System–Revised (DPICS–R). Results indicate that postintervention, the intervention group was associated with significantly lower levels of parent-reported inattention and hyperactive/impulsive difficulties, even after controlling for postintervention changes in child deviance. In addition, 52% of those in the intervention condition, compared with 21% in the control condition, displayed clinically reliable improvements post intervention, giving an absolute risk reduction of 31% and a number needed to treat of 3.23. Limitations include the primary outcome measure used was parent-reported; all children in the study scored high on measures of both hyperactivity and conduct problems, thus it was not possible to examine potential differential effects of treatment on subgroups of children; and the absence of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Bywater, T., Hutchings, J., Daley, D., Whitaker, C., Yeo, S. T., Jones, K., Eames, C., & Tudor Edwards, R. (2009). Long-term effectiveness of a parenting intervention for children at risk of developing conduct disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 195(4), 318–324.  https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.108.056531

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 104 families

Population:

  • Age — Parents: Not specified; Children: 36–59 months
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — Not specified
  • Status — Participants were parents with children aged 36–59 months at risk of developing conduct disorder.

Location/Institution: 11 communities in North- and Mid-Wales, United Kingdom

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Hutchings et al. (2007). The purpose of the study was to examine whether the short-term positive effects of a parenting program, Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IY) [now called The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)] were sustained long term. Participants were randomly assigned to IY or a waiting list control group. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Conners Abbreviated Parent Rating Scale (CAPRS), Kendall Self-Control Rating Scale (SCRS), Parenting Stress Index – Short Form (PSI–SF), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results indicate that the significant parent-reported improvements in primary measures of child behavior, parent behavior, parental stress, and depression gained at follow-up one were maintained to follow-up three, as were improved observed child and parent behaviors. Overall, 63% of children made a minimum significant change on the ECBI Problem Scale between baseline and follow-up (using intention-to-treat data), 54% made a large change, and 39% made a very large change. Child contact with health and social services had reduced at follow-up three. Limitations included the lack of a control group comparison at the 12- and 18-month follow-ups and the small sample size.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Gardner, F., Hutchings, J., Bywater, T., & Whitaker, C. (2010). Who benefits and how does it work? Moderators and mediators of outcome in an effectiveness trial of a parenting intervention. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 39(4), 568–580. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2010.486315

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 133

Population:

  • Age — Parents: Not specified; Children: 36–59 months
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — Not specified
  • Status — Participants were parents with children aged 36–59 months at risk of developing conduct disorder.

Location/Institution: 11 communities in North- and Mid-Wales, United Kingdom

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
This study used the same sample as Hutchings et al. (2007). The purpose of the study was to examine mediators and moderators of change in conduct problems, in a multiagency randomized trial of the Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IY) program [now called The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)]. Participants were randomly assigned to IY or a waiting list control group. Measures utilized include the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Dyadic Parent–Child Interaction Coding System. Results indicate that male and younger children, and those with more depressed mothers, tended to show greater improvement in conduct problems post-intervention. Other risk factors (e.g., teen or single parenthood, very low income, high initial levels of problem behavior) showed no predictive effects, implying IY was at least as successful at helping the most disadvantaged families, compared to more advantaged. Mediator analyses found change in positive parenting skill predicted change in conduct problems. Limitations include the small sample size, and that by reporting data at two time points, preintervention and postintervention, they were unable to achieve temporal separation of the three variables in the mediation analysis.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Azevedo, A. F., Seabra-Santos, M. J., Gaspar, M. F., & Homem, T. C. (2013). The Incredible Years Basic Parent Training for Portuguese preschoolers with AD/HD behaviors: Does it make a difference? Child & Youth Care Forum, 42(5), 403–424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-013-9207-0

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 100

Population:

  • Age — Parents: Not specified; Children; 3–6 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Parents: Not specified; Children: 100% Portuguese
  • Gender — Parents: Not specified; Children: 72 Male
  • Status — Participants were parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behaviors, who were part of a larger randomized controlled trial.

Location/Institution: Portugal

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IY) program [now called The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)] in hyperactive and inattentive behaviors of Portuguese preschoolers. Participants were randomly allocated the IY or a waiting-list control condition (WLC). Measures utilized include the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Werry-Weiss-Peters Activity Scale (WWPAS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales-2nd Edition (PKBS-2), the Parental Account of Childhood Symptoms (PACS), the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), and the Dyadic Parent–Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS). Results indicate that medium-to-large intervention effects were found in primary caregivers’ reported measures of children’s AD/HD behaviors and on self-reported parenting practices. Independent observations indicated significant short-term effects on positive parenting and coaching. Primary caregivers had a high attendance rate and reported high satisfaction with the program. Additionally, 43% of children in the IY condition clinically improved in the primary ADHD outcome measure, compared with 11 % in the WLC condition. Limitations include small sample size, concerns about the generalizability of the findings due to ethnicity, and the lack of follow-up.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Homem, T. C., Gaspar, M. F., Seabra-Santos, M. J., Canavarro, M. C., & Azevedo, A. (2014). A pilot study with the Incredible Years Parenting Training: Does it work for fathers of preschoolers with oppositional behavior symptoms? Fathering, 12(3), 262–282. http://dx.doi.org/10.3149/fth.1203.262

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 36

Population:

  • Age — Parents: Mean=35.11–36.74 years; Children: Mean=56.03 months
  • Race/Ethnicity — Parents: Not specified: Children: 100% Portuguese
  • Gender — Parents: 100% Male; Children: 5% Male
  • Status — Participants were the parents of Portuguese preschoolers at risk for disruptive behaviors.

Location/Institution: Portugal

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine the short-term effects of fathers attending the Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IY) program [now called The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)] for Portuguese preschoolers with oppositional/defiant symptoms. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the IY intervention or to a waiting-list control group. Measures utilized include the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales—2nd Edition (PKBS-2), the Parental Account of Childhood Symptoms (PACS), the Arnold-O Leary Parenting Scale, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), and the Incredible Years Parent Program Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results indicate that there were significant effects on fathers’ positive parenting practices and ratings of children’s prosocial behaviors, as well as a reduction of the impact of symptoms on family functioning. Limitations include the small sample size, length of follow-up, and lack of generalizability to other ethnic populations.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Homem, T. C., Gaspar, M. F., Santos, M. J. S., Azevedo, A. F., & Canavarro, M. C. (2015). Incredible Years Parent Training: Does it improve positive relationships in Portuguese families of preschoolers with oppositional/defiant symptoms?. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(7), 1861–1875. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-9988-2

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 83 families

Population:

  • Age — Children: 3–6 years; Parents: 33–35 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — Children: 73% Male; Parents: 100% Female
  • Status — Participants were preschool children at risk for externalizing behavior disorders and/or behaviors predictive of later attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis.

Location/Institution: Portugal

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a parent training program Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IY) program [now called The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)] for improving positive relationships in Portuguese families of preschoolers with symptoms of oppositional/defiant disorder. Participants were randomly assigned to IY group intervention or to a waiting list control group. Measures utilized include the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS-2), the Werry–Weiss–Peters Activity Scale (WWPAS), the Dyadic Parent–child Interaction Coding System (DPICS), the Parenting Scale, Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (PAIR), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results indicate that observed and self-reported positive parenting practices, couples’ openness to exterior, and children’s oppositional behavior improved significantly more from preassessment to postassessment in the IY group than in the waiting list control group. Changes observed in the IY group were sustained at the 12-month follow-up. However, the improvements in coaching skills that had been observed at the 6 months follow-up in the IY group decreased over time. Limitations include potential sample selection bias, lack of a control group at the 12-month follow-up assessment, and the small sample size.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Seabra-Santos, M. J., Gaspar, M. F., Azevedo, A. F., Homem, T. C., Guerra, J., Martins, V., Leitāo, S., Pimentel, M., Almeida, M., & Moura-Ramos, M. (2016). Incredible Years parent training: What changes, for whom, how, for how long? Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 44, 93–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2016.04.004

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 124

Population:

  • Age — 3–6 years (average age 55.86 months)
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — 73% Male
  • Status — Participants were children at risk of disruptive behavior problems

Location/Institution: Portugal

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The study used the same sample as Azevedo et al. (2013). The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of the Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IYPT) program [now called The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)] with Portuguese families of preschoolers, review moderator and mediator effects, and determine the sustainability of the results. Participants were randomly assigned to IYPT or a wait list control group. Measures utilized include the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Parenting Stress Index, the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales — Second Edition (PKBS-2), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), the Parenting Scale (PS), the Parenting Sense of Competence scale (PSOC), and the Dyadic Parent–Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS). Results indicate that children in the IYPT group showed significant reductions in behavior problems and increases in social skills, and caregivers improved parenting practices and self-confidence. Positive clinical and functional impacts were demonstrated. IYPT was efficacious with a wide range of families. The moderating effect of the child's age suggests that IYPT prevents a decrease in social skills for the ages covered by this study. Changes in parental self-efficacy affected changes in parental practices, promoting changes in children's behavior and positive effects were maintained over time. Limitations include that only the IYPT group was assessed at the 12 and 18 month timepoints; the characteristics of participant mothers (more highly educated than the national average, with stable marital relationships, medium socioeconomic status (SES), and being willing to participate in a PT) might make them more receptive to change; the program's participants originated from a heterogeneous source of recruitment; and the poor-to-fair reliability of some dimensions of the measures used (namely, the CP Scale of the SDQ screening tool and the Child Pro-Social Behavior category of the DPICS).

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Morpeth, L., Blower, S., Tobin, K., Taylor, R. S., Bywater, T., Edwards, R. T., Axford, N., Lehtonen, M., Jones, C., & Berry, V. (2017). The effectiveness of the Incredible Years Pre-School Parenting Programme in the United Kingdom: A pragmatic randomised controlled trial. Child Care in Practice, 23(2), 141–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2016.1264366

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 161

Population:

  • Age — Parents: Not specified; Children: 36–59 months (Mean=44 months)
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — Parents: Not specified; Children: 101 Male and 60 Female
  • Status — Participants were parents of children at risk of a conduct disorder.

Location/Institution: Birmingham, United Kingdom

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of a pre-school group-based parenting program, Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IY) program [now called The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)] for parents of young children at risk of conduct disorder. Participants were randomly assigned to IY or a wait list control group. Measures utilized include the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), and the Arnold & O’Leary Parenting Scale (APS). Results indicate that at follow-up (six months postbaseline), compared to control, parents and children in the IY group had made significant improvements in parenting and problem behavior. The intent-to-treat analysis showed a mean between-group difference in favor of IY on the SDQ total difficulties score at follow-up of 2.23. IY was also superior to the control group on the ECBI and on the APS. Limitations include the reliance on self-reported measures, the study reported relatively low levels of dose compared to other evaluations of IY, and the high attrition rate.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., Barton, J., Daley, D., Hutchings, J., Maishman, T., Raftery, J., Stanton, L., Laver-Bradbury, C., Chorozoglou, M., Coghill, D., Little, L., Ruddock, M., Radford, M., Yao, G. L., Lee, L., Gould, L., Shipway, L., Markomichali, P., McGuirk, J.,…Thompson, M. J. J. (2018). A comparison of the clinical effectiveness and cost of specialised individually delivered parent training for preschool attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and a generic, group-based programme: A multi-centre, randomised controlled trial of the New Forest Parenting Programme versus Incredible Years. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 27(6), 797–809. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-017-1054-3

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 306

Population:

  • Age — 33–54 months
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — 82 Female
  • Status — Participants were preschool children fulfilling an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) research diagnostic criteria.

Location/Institution: Three UK sites: University of Southampton [with Solent NHS Trust (Southampton and Portsmouth Cities)]; North Stafordshire Combined Health Care NHS Trust; and University of Nottingham (with Nottingham City Care/Nottinghamshire County Health Partnerships)

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to compare the efficacy and cost of specialized individually delivered parent training (PT) for preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) against generic group-based PT and treatment as usual (TAU). Participants were randomly allocated to one of three interventions: 1) New Forest Parenting Programme (NFPP)—12-week individual, home-delivered ADHD PT programme; 2) Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IY) program [now called The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment)]—12-week group-based, PT programme; or 3) treatment as usual (TAU). Measures utilized include the Werry-Weiss-Peters Questionnaire (WWP), the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children—Version IV DISC-IV ADHD Scale, the Parent Involvement Project Developmental Charts (PIP), the Swanson Nolan and Pelham (SNAP)-IV–Parent (SNAP-IV-P), the Swanson Nolan and Pelham Teacher Scales (SNAP-IV-T), the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Directly Observed Attention (DOA), the Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Results indicate that NFPP and IY did not differ on parent-rated SNAP-IV, ADHD combined symptoms or any other measure. Small, nonsignificant, benefits of NFPP over TAU were seen for parent-rated SNAP-IV, ADHD combined symptoms. NFPP significantly reduced parent-rated conduct problems compared to TAU across scales. The cost per family of providing NFPP in the trial was significantly lower than IY.  Although, there were no differences between NFPP and IY with regards clinical effectiveness, individually delivered NFPP cost less. Limitations include the rate of attrition was higher than expected, the ability to check for fidelity of the delivery of IY in one of the centers was not possible, aspects of IY delivery may not have been optimized, and the cost estimates in the context of the trial may not reflect costs in routine care.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 6 months (NFPP and IY only).

Additional References

No reference materials are currently available for The Incredible Years® Preschool Basic Parent Training Program (Treatment).

Contact Information

Lisa Wallace-Gloria, M.Ed.
Agency/Affiliation: The Incredible Years
Website: www.incredibleyears.com/early-intervention-programs/parents
Email:
Phone: (206) 285-7565

Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: September 2023

Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: February 2024

Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: March 2024