Efficacy of web-assisted self-help for parents of children with ADHD (WASH) – a three-arm randomized trial under field/routine care conditions in Germany

BACKGROUND: Current clinical guidelines recommend parent management training (PMT) in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). However, (a) a lack of supply and (b) structural barriers to attending and continuing face-to-face PMT restrict the access to this training. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of online PMT in decreasing ADHD symptoms and oppositional behavior problems and to evaluate the effects of additional telephone-based support of the parents. METHODS: The target sample size is n = 495 children with suspected or even clinical diagnosis of ADHD and current symptoms of ADHD or ODD. The study is based on a randomized three-arm parallel group design, in which the effects of treatment as usual (TAU) are compared to TAU plus web-assisted self-help (TAU+WASH) and to TAU plus web-assisted self-help and telephone-based support (TAU+WASH+SUPPORT). DISCUSSION: The results will provide important insights into the efficacy of web-assisted self-help for parents of children with ADHD and the additional effects of telephone-based support. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) DRKS00013456. January 3rd 2018. World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set: Universal Trial number (UTN) U1111–1205-6181. November 23rd 2017.