Direct-to-Consumer Marketing for Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: Impact of Language and Messenger

Abstract

Objectives: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an effective therapy to treat early onset disruptive behavior problems and child physical maltreatment. In order to support the successful implementation and sustainment of PCIT, strategies are needed to recruit parents into care, especially for racial and ethnic minority families, who often have lower rates of access and utilization of mental health services.Methods: This study investigated the impact of direct-to-consumer advertisements on parents' attitudes towards PCIT. Advertisements were delivered in Spanish and English, with either a parent testimony or therapist explaining the treatment. Participants were parents of children between the ages of 2 and 7, who were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants (N = 204) were 38.2% female and 49.5% Spanish speaking.Results: There were no main effects for language or messenger related to PCIT Help-Seeking Intentions, Attitudes, or Stigmatization. However, there was an interaction effect for language and messenger for PCIT Help-Seeking Intentions. Specifically, Spanish-speaking participants had higher intentions when the messenger was a therapist rather than a parent, and had lower intentions than English-speaking parents when the messenger was a parent.Conclusions: These findings are promising for direct-to-consumer advertising strategies that may help recruit more Spanish-speaking families into PCIT, which could help address disparities in access to mental health services.

Parent Engagement with an Online, School-Based, Character Strengths Promotion Program

“…However, completion rates were lower for fathers, parents of racial minority children, and single parents. This is consistent with other literature showing that these socio-demographic groups face unique barriers (Panter-Brick et al, 2014 ; Speth et al, 2015 ; Whisenhunt et al, 2019 ) and may benefit from tailored engagement strategies (Tully et al, 2017 ; Barnett et al, 2020 ). For example, it is particularly important for fathers to have clear information about what the program involves and to establish confidence in the abilities of the facilitator (Tully et al, 2017 ).…”

“…For example, it is particularly important for fathers to have clear information about what the program involves and to establish confidence in the abilities of the facilitator (Tully et al, 2017 ). For racial and ethnic minorities, cultural appropriateness can be a key factor in influencing engagement (Barnett et al, 2020 ; Speth et al, 2015 ), and within ethnic minorities, different levels of acculturation may associate with different preferences (Perrino et al, 2018 ). Single parents may benefit from highly streamlined supports as they often experience additional financial and emotional burdens relative to dual parent households (Meier et al, 2016 ; Whisenhunt et al, 2019 ).…”

Predicting a Rapid Transition to Telehealth-Delivered Parent–Child Interaction Therapy Amid COVID-19: A Mixed Methods Study

“…Although therapists in the study suggested that testimonials from parents might improve engagement, it is important to test the effectiveness of these strategies, especially for diverse groups. For example, one study on direct-to-consumer marketing actually found that Spanish-speaking parents had higher intentions in pursuing PCIT if the testimonial was delivered by a therapist as opposed to a parent (Barnett et al, 2020). Therefore, it is important to tailor recruitment strategies for different populations, with a focus on increasing equity in who is accessing care.…”

Adolescent behavioral health problems are associated with parent perceptions of evidence-based therapy and preferences when seeking therapeutic support.

“…To refine patient-directed communication, researchers have increasingly employed direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing strategies to tailor messages about EBT for youth (Barnett et al, 2019; Gallo et al, 2015). Extensive data have shown that DTC marketing increases demand for prescription drugs (Schwartz & Woloshin, 2019), although its use by for-profit companies has not been without controversy (see Ventola, 2011).…”