Michelle Carr Swift Project: Discipline of General Practice, Flinders University Funding: Primary Health Care Research, Evaluation and Development Strategy: Research Development Program Fellowship

Childhood behavioural and developmental problems have a high prevalence in Australia, yet many parents face barriers to accessing timely help from specialist mental health services, particularly in rural areas.

This new project involved the collaboration of a university department of general practice, regional mental health services, and a primary health care professional. They conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate whether a self-directed parenting program could work as an intervention for children with complex behavioural and developmental problems. The program included the self-help book, ‘Your Defiant Child’, and weekly telephone support from a primary health care professional.

The trial involved 29 children aged two to 12 years who were taken from waiting lists for rural child mental health services in South Australia.

After eight weeks children in the intervention group showed significantly better outcomes and by the end of the trial 44% were below the clinical range for behavioural problems, compared with 16% in the comparison group, and parents were satisfied with the program.

This was the first trial of this type in a ‘real world’ rural setting in Australia. It positively demonstrated that an efficient and effective child mental health care program can be provided to rural families by a primary health care professional, in partnership with specialist child mental health services.

The ‘Your Defiant Child’ program is now being made available across SA and has attracted interest from professionals in other states and New Zealand.