Strengthening parent-teen relationships to reduce risk and enhance healthy development

INTERVENTION: 1. A 10‐week attachment‐focused intervention program for parents or parental surrogates of teens who engage in aggressive, violent, and antisocial behaviour 2. During the enrolment period, all parents seeking clinical services at designated mental health facilities will be provided with information about the trial and invited to participate 3. Following completion of informed consent by parents and assent by youth, parents will complete screening to determine eligibility 4. Eligible parent‐youth dyads will be randomly assigned to either the intervention, a 10 week manualized parent‐teen attachment intervention ‐ Connect, or ?treatment as usual? (TAU) 5. Parents and youth will complete measures prior to and following treatment, and twice afterwards at six‐month intervals post‐treatment 6. Caregivers allocated to the intervention arm will attend a 10‐week, manualized, attachment‐focused parent group 7. Each 1 hour session will Address an attachment principle that captures key aspects of the parent‐teen relationship and common parenting challenges 8. The objective of the intervention is to enhance skills related to: 8.1. Secure attachment 8.2. Parental sensitivity 8.3. Partnership and mutuality 8.4. Dyadic affect regulation 9. Treatment as Usual (TAU) Characteristics: Clinics included in the trial also offer an array of services for families, parents and teens 10. TAU is available at each participating mental health centre and will include other forms of parenting groups, family therapy, parent or youth cognitive therapy or supportive counselling 11. Treatment duration is typically short (3‐4 months) 12. We will code treatment dose in both treatment conditions in terms of total number of sessions attended, total weeks of treatment, average length of sessions, and total hours in treatment CONDITION: High risk for aggression, violence and poor social and mental health ; Mental and Behavioural Disorders ; Antisocial behaviour PRIMARY OUTCOME: 1. Parent report: Brief Child and Family Phone Interview (BCFPI); 2. Three measures of parenting: The Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC); 3. The Children?s Report of Parenting Behaviors Inventory (CRPBI); 4. The Caregiver Strain Questionnaire (CGSQ) which measures: the Comprehensive Adolescent‐Parent Attachment Inventory ? Parent Version (CAPAI‐P); 5. You report: BCFPI; 6. The Self Report of Offending‐Revised (SRO‐R); 7. The Conflict Tactics Scale ? Perpetrator subscale (CTS); 8. The Affect Regulation Checklist (ARC): The Comprehensive Adolescent‐Parent Inventory ? Youth Version (CAPAI‐Y) SECONDARY OUTCOME: 1. Parent report: The Parenting Representations Interview ? Adolescence version; 2. Youth biological stress reactivity (salivary cortisol); 3. Genotype moderation (DRD4); 4. Official arrest data; 5. Grade point average and absenteeism; 6. Other services received INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. English‐speaking 2. Parent‐youth dyads of youth diagnosed with conduct disorder (t‐score of = 65, BCFPI) 3. Available (i.e. no anticipated extended absences)