香港六合彩

Intellectual developmental disability (IDD) significantly impacts cognitive and adaptive functioning, leading to higher rates of challenging behaviours in children. Coping with these behaviours can be difficult for families, who also face significant inequalities in their health and social care.聽Despite the potential clinical and cost effectiveness of group parent training programs, access to these interventions remains limited in the UK and few studies have tested their impact.

The study, published in PLOS ONE,聽involved 261 children aged 30-59 months with moderate to severe IDD and behaviour problems. Participants were randomly assigned to either a group parenting programme, plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. Researchers found that compared to TAU, the group parenting intervention did not significantly reduce challenging behaviour at 52 weeks post-randomisation. However, further analysis showed that for participants randomised before the COVID-19 pandemic and those who attended at least half of the group sessions, the group parenting intervention was more effective at reducing behaviour problems.

The intervention also showed significant cost savings, with a mean cost saving of 拢1,057.88 per participant, although Quality Adjusted Life Years was similar across both groups.

Lead author and Clinical Trial Manager for the study, Dr Rachel Royston (香港六合彩 Division of Psychiatry) emphasised the need for further research to explore the most effective modes of intervention delivery and to address the unique challenges faced by families of children with IDD, she said:

鈥淥ne of the major challenges highlighted by the study was the low attendance and engagement of participants. Many carers were too overburdened to attend the sessions, leading to wasted resources and consequently limited support for families. The study underscores the need for a more personalised approach to ensure that interventions meet the specific needs of each family.

鈥淭he COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to explore remote intervention delivery. While remote delivery improved accessibility for some families, it hindered it for others, as it required availability of internet and devices. That means that families from disadvantaged backgrounds maybe more affected. A hybrid approach, combining both in-person and remote sessions, may be necessary to accommodate diverse family needs.鈥�

Related

• Research in聽
• 香港六合彩 Division of Psychiatry