Psychological Intervention for Childhood Emotional and Behavioural Problems

INTERVENTION: Attachment‐Based Family Therapy (AFT) designed to target emotional and behavioural difficulties in middle‐aged children. This intervention is based on attachment, psychodynamic, and family systems theory. It aims to shift problematic attachment processes thereby enhancing attachment relationships within the family, and in turn reduce child symptomatology. The intervention will be individualised through an initial interview assessment tool where problematic attachment processes occurring within family members can be identified. This treatment model expands on an existing attachment‐focused family‐based intervention designed for adolescent substance use and depression (Poole et al., 2016). In the trial AFT will be delivered by provisional psychologists (undertaking postgraduate qualifications) with a minimum of two days training provided by the research team. The treatment requires the whole family to attend for six 90‐minute face‐to‐face sessions over six consecutive weeks. The current trial will be the first piloting of AFT at the Murdoch University Psychology Clinic in Perth, Western Australia. All sessions will be recorded within the trial to allow for randomised fidelity to treatment checks conducted by members of the research team using a standardised assessment tool. CONDITION: Childhood mental health symptomatology; ; Childhood mental health symptomatology Mental Health ‐ Anxiety Mental Health ‐ Depression Mental Health ‐ Other mental health disorders PRIMARY OUTCOME: Externalising symptoms scores measured by the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991)[At baseline, pre‐treatment (2 weeks), mid‐treatment (4 weeks), post‐treatment (7 weeks), and four weeks follow‐up (11 weeks ‐ primary endpoint).] Internalising symptoms score measured by the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991)[At baseline, pre‐treatment (2 weeks), mid‐treatment (4 weeks), post‐treatment (7 weeks), and four weeks follow‐up (11 weeks ‐ primary endpoint).] SECONDARY OUTCOME: General family functioning, as measured by the McMaster Family Assessment Device (Epstein, Baldwin, & Bishop, 1983).[At baseline, post‐treatment (7 weeks), and four weeks follow‐up (11 weeks).] Parent helplessness as measured by the Caregiver Helplessness Questionnaire (George & Solomon, 2011).[At baseline, post‐treatment (7 weeks) and follow‐up (11 weeks).] Parent mental health as measured by the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales, 21‐item (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995).[At baseline, pre‐treatment (2 weeks), mid‐treatment (4 weeks), post‐treatment (7 weeks), and four weeks follow‐up (11 weeks).] Reflective functioning capacity in parents, measured by the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (Fonagy et al., 2016)[At baseline, pre‐treatment (2 weeks), mid‐treatment (4 weeks), post‐treatment (7 weeks), and four weeks follow‐up (11 weeks).] INCLUSION CRITERIA: ‐ The families of children aged between 6 – 12 years of age ‐ The child’s scores on the Child Behavior Checklist, rated by their primary caregiver must be above the clinical cut‐off point on at least one of the internalising or externalising problem subscales, to indicate clinically significant problematic behaviour(s). ‐ Must be able to communicate adequately in English ‐ A ‘family’ must be composed of at least one primary caregiver and the child of interest. There are no exclusions with regard to blended families or other family structures beyond the nuclear family.