The effectiveness of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care for Preschoolers (MTFC-P) for young children with severe behavioral disturbances: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Trials

Ramon JL Lindauer²  Frits Boer¹  Mirjam Oosterman³  Robert Lindeboom⁴  Carlo Schuengel³  Caroline S Jonkman² 

[1] Department of Child and Adolescents Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;De Bascule, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Meibergdreef 5, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, The Netherlands;Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;Division of Clinical Methods and Public Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

关键词: Preschool children;    Foster care;    Cortisol;    Behavior;    Autonomic reactivity;    Attachment;   

Others  :  1093544
DOI  :  10.1186/1745-6215-14-197

 received in 2012-11-06, accepted in 2013-06-06,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

Among children placed out of home, behavioral and relationship functioning is often problematic. When placed in foster care, problems tend to persist or even worsen and increase the risk of placement breakdown. Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care for Preschoolers is an intensive behavior-focused program for young foster children (3 to 7 years) aiming to provide children with a positive and stimulating foster family setting and individually tailored behavioral interventions. This study will be the first to examine the effectiveness of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care for Preschoolers outside the US and to examine the effectiveness across a broader range of problems related to foster care.

Methods

This is a randomized controlled trial, wherein we expect to include 80 child-foster carer dyads. Forty dyads will be assigned to Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care for Preschoolers and 40 to treatment as usual, following pre-randomization. Data to be gathered concern problem behavior, symptoms of attachment disorder, post-traumatic stress symptoms, quality of life, hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axis functioning, parental stress and autonomic reactivity, to be collected via questionnaires, observations, interviews, saliva and recording at six time-points over 24 months. To compare treatment outcomes, Fisher’s exact tests and repeated measures (mixed models) and independent t-tests will be used. All analyses will be performed following the intention-to-treat principle.

Discussion

Examining the generalizability of previous findings in the US and extending these previous findings is a step towards improving knowledge about treatment of young foster children with severe behavioral, emotional and attachment problems.

Trial registration

NTR1747

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Jonkman et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]US Department of Health and Human Services: The AFCARS report: Preliminary FY 2011 Estimates as of July 2012. No. 19. Washington DC: US Government Printing Office; 2011.
• [2]Factsheet Foster Care: Foster Care in the Netherlands. Utrecht, Netherlands: Foster Care Netherlands; 2012.
• [3]Leslie LK, Gordon JN, Lambros K, Premji K, Peoples J, Gist K: Addressing the developmental and mental health needs of young children in foster care. J Dev Behav Pediatr 2005, 26:140-151.
• [4]Landsverk J, Garland AF, Leslie LK: Mental health services for children reported to child protective services. In APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment. 2nd edition. Edited by Meyers J, Briere J. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 2002:487-507.
• [5]McMillen JC, Zima BT, Scott LD Jr, Auslander WF, Munson MR, Ollie MT, Spitznagel EL: Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among older youths in the foster care system. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2005, 44:88-95.
• [6]American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition, text revision. Arlington, VA: APA; 2000.
• [7]Scheeringa MS, Zeanah CH, Myers L, Putnam F: Heart period and variability findings in preschool children with posttraumatic stress symptoms. Biol Psychiatry 2004, 55:685-691.
• [8]van den-Dries L, Juffer F, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ: Fostering security? A meta-analysis of attachment in adopted children. Child Youth Serv Rev 2009, 31:410-421.
• [9]Zeanah CH, Smyke AT, Koga SF, Carlson E: Attachment in institutionalized and community children in Romania. Child Dev 2005, 76:1015-1028.
• [10]Bruce J, Tarullo AR, Gunnar MR: Disinhibited social behavior among internationally adopted children. Dev Psychopathol 2009, 21:157-171.
• [11]Gleason MM, Fox NA, Drury S, Smyke A, Egger HL, Nelson CA 3rd, Gregas MC, Zeanah CH: Validity of evidence-derived criteria for reactive attachment disorder: indiscriminately social/disinhibited and emotionally withdrawn/inhibited types. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2011, 50:216-231.
• [12]Dozier M, Manni M, Gordon MK, Peloso E, Gunnar MR, Stovall-McClough KC, Eldreth D, Levine S: Foster children's diurnal production of cortisol: an exploratory study. Child Maltreat 2006, 11:189-197.
• [13]Fisher PA, Gunnar MR, Dozier M, Bruce J, Pears KC: Effects of therapeutic interventions for foster children on behavioral problems, caregiver attachment, and stress regulatory neural systems. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2006, 1094:215-225.
• [14]Oosterman M, Schuengel C: Autonomic reactivity of children to separation and reunion with foster parents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2007, 46:1196-1203.
• [15]Lawrence CR, Carlson EA, Egeland B: The impact of foster care on development. Dev Psychopathol 2006, 18:57-76.
• [16]Minty B: Annotation: outcomes in long-term foster family care. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 1999, 40:991-999.
• [17]Vanderfaeillie J, Van-Holen F, Trogh L, Andries C: The impact of foster children's behavioural problems on Flemish foster mothers' parenting behavior. Child Fam Soc Work 2012, 17:34-42.
• [18]Oosterman M, Schuengel C, Wim Slot N, Bullens RAR, Doreleijers TAH: Disruptions in foster care: a review and meta-analysis. Child Youth Serv Rev 2007, 29:53-76.
• [19]Zeanah CH, Gleason MM: Reactive attachment disorder: a review for DSM-IV. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2010.
• [20]Curtis P, Alexander G, Lunghofer L: A literature review comparing the outcomes of residential group care and therapeutic foster care. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 2001, 18:377-392.
• [21]Dozier M, Rutter M: Challenges to the development of attachment relationships faced by young children in foster and adoptive care. In Handbook of Attachment. Edited by Cassidy J, Shaver PR. New York: Guilford Press; 2008:698-717.
• [22]Fisher PA, Burraston B, Pears K: The Early Intervention Foster Care Program: permanent placement outcomes from a randomized trial. Child Maltreat 2005, 10:61-71.
• [23]Fisher PA, Stoolmiller M, Gunnar MR, Burraston BO: Effects of a therapeutic intervention for foster preschoolers on diurnal cortisol activity. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2007, 32:892-905.
• [24]Fisher PA, Kim HK: Intervention effects on foster preschoolers' attachment-related behaviors from a randomized trial. Prev Sci 2007, 8:161-170.
• [25]Westermark PK, Hansson K, Olsson M: Multidimensional treatment foster care (MTFC): results from an independent replication. J Fam Ther 2010, 33:20-41.
• [26]Jonkman C, Bolle E, Lindeboom R, Schuengel C, Oosterman M, Boer F, Lindauer RJ: Multidimensional treatment foster care for preschoolers: early findings of an implementation in the Netherlands. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2012, 6:38. BioMed Central Full Text
• [27]Patterson GR: Coercive Family Process. Eugene, OR: Castalia Publishing Company; 1982.
• [28]Patterson GR, Reid JB, Dishion TJ: Antisocial Boys. Eugene, OR: Castalia Publishing Company; 1992. [A Social Interactional Approach, Volume 4]
• [29]Achenbach TM, Rescorla LA: Manual for the ASEBA Preschool Forms & Profiles. Burlington, VT: ASEBA; 2000.
• [30]Achenbach TM: Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 and 1991 Profile. Burlington, VT: Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont; 1991.
• [31]Koot HM, EJCG V d-O, Verhulst FC, Boomsma DI: Behavioral and emotional problems in young preschoolers: cross-cultural testing of the validity of the Child Behavior Checklist/2-3. J Abnorm Child Psychol 1997, 25:183-196.
• [32]Verhulst FC, van der-Ende J, Koot HM: Handleiding voor de Child Behavior Checklist/4-18. Rotterdam: Erasmus Universiteit/Sophie Kinderziekenhuis; 1996.
• [33]Verhulst FC, van der-Ende J, Koot HM: Handleiding voor de Teacher's Report Form (TRF). Rotterdam: Erasmus Universiteit/Sophia Kinderziekenhuis; 1997.
• [34]Goodman R: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 1997, 38:581-586.
• [35]van-Widenfelt BM, Goedhart AW, Treffers PD, Goodman R: Dutch version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2003, 12:281-289.
• [36]Chamberlain P, Reid JB: Parent observation and report of child symptom. Behavioral Assessment 1987, 9:97-109.
• [37]Chamberlain P, Price JM, Reid JB, Landsverk J, Fisher PA, Stoolmiller M: Who disrupts from placement in foster and kinship care? Child Abuse Negl 2006, 30:409-424.
• [38]Smyke AT, Zeanah CH: Disturbances of Attachment Interview. New Orleans, LA: Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Tulane University School of Medicine; 1999.
• [39]Smyke AT, Dumitrescu A, Zeanah CH: Disturbances of attachment in young children: I. The continuum of caretaking casualty. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2002, 41:972-982.
• [40]Zeanah CH, Scheeringa M, Boris NW, Heller SS, Smyke AT, Trapani J: Reactive attachment disorder in maltreated toddlers. Child Abuse Negl 2004, 28:877-888.
• [41]Ainsworth M, Blehar M, Waters E, Wall S: Patterns of Attachment: A Psychological Study of the Strange Situation. Hillsdale: NJ Erlbaum; 1978.
• [42]Oosterman M, Schuengel C: Physiological effects of separation and reunion in relation to attachment and temperament in young children. Dev Psychobiol 2007, 49:119-128.
• [43]Cassidy J, Marvin RS: Attachment Organization in Preschool Children: Procedures and Coding Manual. Unpublished manuscript. Seattle, WA: University of Virginia; 1992.
• [44]Briere J, Johnson K, Bissada A, Damon L, Crouch J, Gil E, Hanson R, Ernst V: The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC): reliability and association with abuse exposure in a multi-site study. Child Abuse Negl 2001, 25:1001-1014.
• [45]Lamers-Winkelman F: Dutch Translation of the Trauma Checklist for Young Children. Amsterdam: VU University; 1998.
• [46]Lanktree CB, Gilbert AM, Briere J, Taylor N, Chen K, Maida CA, Saltzman WR: Multi-informant assessment of maltreated children: convergent and discriminant validity of the TSCC and TSCYC. Child Abuse Negl 2008, 32:621-625.
• [47]de-Geus EJ, Willemsen GH, Klaver CH, van-Doornen LJ: Ambulatory measurement of respiratory sinus arrhythmia and respiration rate. Biol Psychol 1995, 41:205-227.
• [48]Brock A, Vermulst A, Gerris J, Abidin R: Nijmeegse ourderlijke stress index: Meetinstrument voor de vaststelling bij opvoeders: een uitgebreide versie (NOSI) voor psychodiagnostische doeleinden en een verkorte versie (NOSIK) voor signaleringsdoeleinden. Lisse: Swets & Seitlinger; 1992.
• [49]Abidin R: Parenting Stress Index: a measure of the parent–child system. In Evaluating Stress: A Book of Resources. Edited by Zalaquett C, Wood R. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press; 1997:277-291.
• [50]Prinzie P, Onghena P, Hellinckx W: Reexamining the parenting scale; reliability, factors, structure and concurrent validity of a scale for assessing the discipline practices of mothers and fathers of elementary-school-aged children. Eur J Psychol Assess 2007, 23:24-31.
• [51]Ravens-Sieberer U, Bullinger M: Assessing health-related quality of life in chronically ill children with the German KINDL: first psychometric and content analytical results. Qual Life Res 1998, 7:399-407.
• [52]Zelen M: Randomized consent designs for clinical trials: an update. Stat Med 1990, 9:645-656.
• [53]Hatcher S, Sharon C, Coggan C: Beyond randomized controlled trials in attempted suicide research. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2009, 39:396-407.
• [54]Zelen M: A new design for randomized clinical trials. N Engl J Med 1979, 300:1242-1245.
• [55]Andrew M, Vegh P, Caco C, Kirpalani H, Jefferies A, Ohlsson A, Watts J, Saigal S, Milner R, Wang E: A randomized, controlled trial of platelet transfusions in thrombocytopenic premature infants. J Pediatr 1993, 123:285-291.
• [56]Fisher PA, Gunnar MR, Chamberlain P, Reid JB: Preventive intervention for maltreated preschool children: impact on children's behavior, neuroendocrine activity, and foster parent functioning. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2000, 39:1356-1364.
• [57]Macdonald G, Turner W: Treatment Foster Care for improving outcomes in children and young people. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008., Issue 1