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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 May/Jun;33(3):158-166.
doi: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000331.

Online Family Problem Solving for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Influences of Parental Marital Status and Participation on Adolescent Outcomes

Stacey P Raj  1 , Nanhua Zhang, Michael W Kirkwood, H Gerry Taylor, Terry Stancin, Tanya M Brown, Shari L Wade
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Online Family Problem Solving for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Influences of Parental Marital Status and Participation on Adolescent Outcomes

Stacey P Raj et al. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2018 May/Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the moderating effects of parent marital status and participation on efficacy of an online family problem-solving intervention for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: Participants were 132 adolescents (12-17 years) who had sustained a recent (<6 months) TBI and their parents. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (Counselor-Assisted Problem Solving, CAPS) or an Internet resource comparison (IRC) condition. CAPS was designed to support families in the initial phase following TBI, by teaching problem-solving skills and addressing common challenges. To examine the moderating effect of parent marital status, participants were divided into 4 groups (ie, CAPS married household, CAPS unmarried household, IRC married household, and IRC unmarried household). Family income and caregiver education were controlled in analyses.

Results: Parent marital status moderated treatment effects on adolescent externalizing behavior problems. Adolescents from married households in CAPS displayed fewer behavior problems at 6 and 18 months postbaseline compared with adolescents from unmarried households in CAPS. Among married CAPS families, there were no differences in outcomes among families where 1 or 2 parents actively participated.

Conclusions: Web-based interventions for pediatric TBI, such as CAPS, are a viable option for some although not all families. Further research is needed to investigate factors that influence efficacy to match families to the most beneficial treatments.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CAPS Randomized Controlled Trial CONSORT Flow Diagram
Figure 2
Figure 2
Depicts changes in CAFAS scores from baseline to 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month visits for the four study groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Depicts changes in scores on the externalizing behaviors scale of the CBCL from baseline to 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month visits for the four study groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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