Families in regional and rural NSW have been receiving virtual parenting support from researchers at UNSW Sydney.

The trial was aimed at young children aged between 1.5 and 4 years old with ongoing behavioural problems, such as persistent tantrums, defiance, and aggressive behaviour. They had all been referred to the program by medical professionals or a community parenting service.

“This online intervention was powerful for improving child behaviour,” says Dr Georgette Fleming, lead author of a study that reviewed the program.

“Almost 90 per cent of children who completed treatment rated in the normal range of functioning by the end of the program.”

Parents also benefited greatly, with findings showing that online parent management training can lead to large and observable improvements in effective parenting skills.

The therapy took place over an average of 10 parent-child play sessions. The therapist – who was watching via a live video call – paid close attention to the child’s disruptive behaviours and the parent’s response. They then coached the parent in how to manage different negative behaviours as they occurred in real time via a wireless headset worn by the parent.

This is the first time online parent management training has been tested in a real-world setting – that is, delivered by community practitioners to families in regional and rural areas. The intervention was run in partnership with parenting service Karitane.

“It’s an exciting step in taking university-based research into the real world,” Dr Fleming says.

COVID-19 has prompted many in-person psychological therapies to move online.

“We hope this effectiveness study will be encouraging to practitioners and families at a time where anxieties and uncertainties are high,” says Dr Fleming.

The trial gave the researchers an opportunity to assess future challenges Australians face in receiving mental health services. Access to funding is a key barrier.

“Medicare only offers 10 subsidised sessions per calendar year,” says Dr Fleming.

“Many psychological interventions, including the intensive one we delivered, exceed this number.

“With limited subsidised funding, many people might stop intervention prematurely.”

Medicare funding for online psychological programs is usually only available to residents in certain areas of regional and rural NSW, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these guidelines have been expanded, with Medicare-subsidised services now available to those residing in metropolitan areas as well.

“While this is a promising step forward, it’s currently unclear whether the improvement to the accessibility of online mental health services will last beyond the pandemic. This is unfortunate, because treating problematic behaviours in the place where they actually happen – the home – is likely to be more powerful than treating them in artificial clinic settings,” says Dr Fleming.

The research team also had concerns about the whether the Australian internet could support the early-intervention program.

Their full report is accessible here.