Effectiveness of emotion-focused skills training (EFST) for parents: A randomized controlled trial investigating remission of mental health diagnosis and symptom reduction in children

Objective: Emotion-focused skills training for parents (EFST) is a parental guidance intervention aimed at strengthening emotional bonds between parent and child and improve children's mental health. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), EFST was compared to treatment as usual (TAU) in a Norwegian public outpatient clinic for child and adolescent mental health. The hypothesis was that EFST would be equal or superior to TAU in effectiveness on remission of diagnoses and symptomatic change for children. Method: Seventy-two clients were randomly assigned to an EFST intervention or an integrative family-based intervention (TAU). The main outcome measure was the semi-structured diagnostic interview Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL), administered at pretreatment and after three months. The secondary outcome was the DSM-IV version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Bayesian statistical methods, including clinically informed priors, were used to compare the effectiveness of the two interventions. Results: Forty-four percent (15 of 34 clients) attained diagnostic remission in the EFST condition compared to 26 percent (10 of 38 clients) in TAU. The proportion of symptomatic decline was equivalent in both conditions. Conclusion: The results support the hypothesis that EFST was equal or superior to TAU in effectiveness in a public outpatient setting.