A study on the effectiveness of videoconferencing on teaching parent training skills to parents of children with ADHD

Objective: Many geographic locations are without services and staff available to provide treatment for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This is a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of group parent training on ADHD treatment delivered via videoconferencing. Subjects and Methods: Twenty-two subjects were enrolled in the study, with 9 subjects in the videoconference session (treatment group) and 13 in the face-to-face session (control group). The Parent Child Relationship Questionnaire for Child and Adolescents (PCQ-CA), Vanderbilt Assessment Scales (parent and teacher versions), Children Global Assessment Scale, Clinical Global Impression - Severity score, Clinical Global Impression - Improvement score, and Social Skills Rating System assessed the effectiveness of the treatment. A Likert scale evaluated parents' acceptance of the training modality. Our results showed that the parent training program significantly improved parents' disciplinary practices based on the PRQ-CA, parent ratings of ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder symptoms, and the children's global functioning. Results: The treatment effects did not differ between the videoconference and face-to-face groups; however, the videoconference group evidenced statistically greater improvement on the hyperactive symptoms of Vanderbilt Assessment Scales. Our findings suggest that parent training through a videoconferencing modality may be as effective as face-to-face training and is well accepted by parents. Conclusions: Parent training via videoconferencing may be an important tool for addressing ADHD in geographic locations that do not have access to appropriate treatment providers.