Technology-Enhanced Behavioral Parent Training: The Relationship Between Technology Use and Efficiency of Service Delivery

Abstract

Behavior disorders (BDs) are common and, without treatment, can have long-term impacts on child and family health. Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) is the standard of care intervention for early-onset BDs; however, structural socioeconomic barriers hinder treatment outcomes for low-income families. While digital technologies have been proposed as a mechanism to improve engagement in BPT, research exploring the relationship between technology use and outcomes is lacking. Thus, this study with 34 low-income families examined the impact of parents’ use of adjunctive mobile app components on treatment efficiency in one technology-enhanced (TE-) BPT program, Helping the Noncompliant Child (HNC). While parent use of the TE-HNC app and its impact on the efficiency of service delivery varied across specific components, increased app use significantly reduced the number of weeks required for families to achieve skill mastery. Implications for the design and development of behavior intervention technologies in general, as well as for BPT in particular, are discussed.