The Incredible Years - Detailed Report

The Incredible Years BASIC Parent Training Program targets parents of high-risk children and those displaying behavior problems.
Highlighted parenting skills include:

• How to build strong relationships with children through child-directed play interactions.
• How to be a social, emotional and academic coach for children
• How to provide praise and incentives to build social and academic competency.
• How to set limits and establish household rules.
• How to handle misbehavior.

The Incredible Years ADVANCE Parent Training Program addresses interpersonal skills.

Highlighted interpersonal skills include:

• How to effectively communicate with your children and other adults.
• How to handle stress, anger and depression management issues.
• How to problem solve between adults.
• How to help children learn to problem solve.
• How to provide and receive support.

The Incredible Years Child Training Program (Dina Dinosaur Social Skills and Problem-Solving Curriculum)
The Child Training program promotes social competency and reduces conduct problems.

Children are trained in four areas:

Emotion Management

• How to talk about feelings.
• How to understand and detect feelings in others.
• How to self-regulate and manage upsetting feelings.

Social Skills

• How to talk to and make friends.
• How to work in teams.
• How to cooperate and help others.
• How to effectively communicate.
• How to follow rules.
• How to play with others and enter into groups.

Problem Solving

• How to deal with anger.
• How to solve problems step-by-step.
• How to be friendly

Classroom Behavior

• How to listen.
• How to follow school rules.
• How to stop-look-think-check.

The Incredible Years was given the scientific rating of "1-Well Supported-Effective Practice" based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The practice must have at least two randomized controlled trials that show the practice is superior to an appropriate comparison practice and has a sustained effect of at least one year. For more information follow this link to the complete definition of this rating.

Baydar, N., Reid, M.J., & Webster-Stratton, C. (2003). The role of mental health factors and program engagement in the effectiveness of a preventive parenting program for Head Start mothers. Child Development, 74I(5), 1433-1453.

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of participants: Control group: 275, Intervention group: 607
Population:

Age Range: Mean age of child was 56 months, approximately
Race/Ethnicity: Control: 56% Caucasian, 19.2% African American, 13% Hispanic, 7% Asian/Pacific Islander. Intervention: 60.8% Caucasian, 13.7% African American, 9% Hispanic, 11% Asian/Pacific Islander
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): Families enrolled in Head Start centers

Location/Institution: Puget Sound
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: A group that received The Incredible Years training or to a control group that did not receive the training. Mothers with mental health risk factors (depression, anger, history of abuse as a child, and substance abuse) exhibited poorer parenting skills than those without risk factors, as measured by the Parenting Practices Interview, Dyadic Parent-Child Interactive Coding System, and Coder Impression Inventory. However, mothers with risk factors engaged with and benefited from the parenting training program at a level comparable to mothers without these risk factors. Program engagement was assessed by number of sessions attended, percentage of homework assignments completed, and the group leader’s rating of engagement. Intervention mothers had lower scores on both harsh/negative parenting and ineffective parenting and higher scores on supportive parenting.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None

Reid, M.J., Webster-Stratton, C., & Baydar, N. (2004). Halting the development of conduct problems in Head Start children: The effect of parent training. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33(2), 279-291.

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of participants: 882 children
Population:

Age Range: 5 or younger
Race/Ethnicity: 51% White, 19% African American, 10% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 12% mixed or other
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): Enrolled in Head Start center

Location/Institution: Puget Sound
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Note: The children in this trial were from the same families measured in Baydar, Reid, & Webster-Stratton (2003). Participant families were randomly assigned to an intervention group where parents received The Incredible Years parenting program or to a group where the parent received the standard Head Start curriculum. Teachers in the intervention groups also received training on the program content. Data on children’s behavior was obtained through both parent and teacher reports and through independent home observation. Pre and post intervention, children were measured on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, an inventory of conduct problems. Data was also obtained from the Dyadic Parent-Child Interactive Coding System which allows recording of behaviors of children with conduct problems and their parents, and the Coder Impression Inventory, which describes parenting style, child affect, and behavior. Mothers and children who had parenting or behavior problems at baseline were also identified. Analyses showed that families with problems at baseline benefited most from the program. Changes in conduct problems were also related to maternal engagement in the program and to mothers’ success in implementing the positive parenting strategies taught in the program.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None

Reid, M.J., Webster-Stratton, & Beauchaine, T.P. (2001). Parent training in Head Start: A comparison of program response among African American, Asian American, Caucasian, and Hispanic mothers. Prevention Science, 2(4), 209-227.

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of participants: 634 families provided pre and posttest data. 474 families provided data for the 1-year follow-up.
Population:

Age Range: 55.96 months
Race/Ethnicity: 19% African American, 11% Hispanic, 12% Asian American
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): Families with children attending Head Start

Location/Institution: Puget Sound
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Randomly assigned to The Incredible Years program group or the control group. Measures were taken at baseline, post-treatment, and 1 year later. Parenting competency and involvement were measured by the Parenting Practices Interview (PPI), Parent Teacher Involvement Questionnaire (parent and teacher version), home observations with the Dyadic Parent Child Interaction Coding System-Revised (DPCICS-R), and the Coder Impression Inventory (CII). Child competencies were measured by the Child Behavior Checklist, Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, Social Competence Scale (parent), and home observation with the DPCICS-R. Mothers were also assessed with the Brief Anger Aggression Questionnaire, the CESD depression scale, and the Assessing Environments III, which provides information on childhood experiences of abusive punishment. Following treatment, mothers were observed to be more positive, less critical, more consistent, and more competent than were control mothers. Differences across ethnic groups did not exceed chance levels.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: 1 year

Gross, D., Fogg, L., Webster-Stratton, C., Garvey, C., Julion, W., & Grady, J. (2003). Parent training of toddlers in day care in low-income urban communities. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(2), 261-278.

Type of Study: Randomized Controlled Trial
Number of Participants: 208 Parents, 77 teachers
Population:

Age Range: 2 to 3 years
Race/Ethnicity: 57% African American, 29.3% Latino, 3.4% white, 4.3 % multicultural, 5.8% other.
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): Enrolled in daycare serving low income families

Location/Institution: Chicago
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Families were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: parent training + teacher training, (PT +TT), parent training (PT), teacher training (TT) and wait list control. Training groups received The Incredible Years program. After controlling for parent stress, the PT and PT + TT groups reported higher self-efficacy, as measured by the Toddler Care Questionnaire; and less coercive discipline, measured by the Dyadic Parent Child Interactive Coding System-Revised (DPCICS-R). Child behavior was not related to intervention condition. Among toddlers in high-risk behavior problem groups, experimental groups showed more improvement than controls. The authors cite maturation effects and teacher turnover as possible limitations.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: 1 year

Gardner, F., Burton, J., & Klimes, I. (2006). Randomised controlled trial of a parenting intervention in the voluntary sector for reducing child conduct problems: Outcomes and mechanisms of change. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(11), 1123-1132.

Type of Study: Randomized Controlled Trial
Number of Participants: 76 Children
Population:

Age Range: 2 to 9 years
Race/Ethnicity: Not provided
Status (e.g., foster care, CW): Referred by primary health care staff, social workers, or other professionals.

Location/Institution: Family Nurturing Network , UK
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Requirements for participation were referral for conduct problems with a score above clinical cutoff on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory scale and having a parent able to communicate in English and attend group sessions. Families were randomly assigned to receive The Incredible Years program or to a wait-list control. Assessments were conducted at home and included a 6-month and 18-month follow-up for those in the intervention condition. Measures of child behavior were the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, observed child negative behaviors, and observed child independent play. Parenting measures included observed positive parenting, observed negative parenting, the Parenting Scale, the Parent Sense of Competence questionnaire, and Beck Depression Inventory. Results showed improvement in all child and parent measures, with the exception of maternal depression. These levels were maintained at 18 months, although the comparison was with treatment baseline only. Control families were not analyzed at 18 months, because the chosen design required them to be offered the intervention at 6 months.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: 18 months pretest/posttest for intervention group, 6 months intervention versus control

Webster-Stratton, C., & Reid, M. J. (2004). Strengthening social and emotional competence in young children—The foundation for early school readiness and success Incredible Years classroom social skills and problem-solving curriculum. Infants and Young Children, 17(2), 96–113.

Webster-Stratton, C. & Reid, M. J. (2003). Treating conduct problems and strengthening social and emotional competence in young children: The Dina Dinosaur treatment program. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 1(3), 130-143.

Reid, M. J., & Webster-Stratton, C. (2001). The Incredible Years parent, teacher, and child intervention: Targeting multiple areas of risk for a young child with pervasive conduct problems using a flexible, manualized, treatment program. Journal of Cognitive and Behavior Practice, 8, 377-386.