Description

Welcome to Mind the Kids, the podcast from the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Today’s episode takes us into the complex world of parenting programmes—the backbone of many early interventions for children with disruptive behaviour problems. This episode is entitled 'More Than Money: Nudging Parents, Breaking Barriers, Transforming Futures'. Host Mark Tebbs speaks with Dr. Nathan Hodson, child and adolescent psychiatrist and researcher at the University of Warwick, whose work explores how financial incentives might help bring more parents into these transformative programmes. Drawing on behavioural economics and evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis, Nathan and Mark delve into one of the field’s most pressing challenges: engagement. As they discuss, the question isn’t whether parenting support works—the evidence is clear that it does—but how to ensure families facing the toughest circumstances can access and stay with it. Could small, well-targeted incentives help remove barriers such as transport, childcare, or lost work time? And what does it mean for equity, motivation, and policy design? This episode is as much about compassion as it is about data. It’s a conversation that asks us to see every parent not as “hard to reach,” but as balancing complex lives where practical help can make all the difference. Whether you’re a policymaker, practitioner, or researcher, you’ll find insight here into how behavioural nudges and empathy might work hand in hand to build fairer, more effective systems of support. Mind the Kids brings research to life—because improving children’s mental health starts with understanding the stories behind the studies. This episode relates to ACAMH's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Journal paper 'Review: Systematic review and meta-analysis – financial incentives increase engagement with parenting programs for disruptive behavior problems' Nathan Hodson, Madiha Majid, Richard James, Eileen K. Graham, Daniel K. Mroczek, Rinad S. Beidas https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12746

Learning Objectives

1. Do financial incentives significantly increase attendance at parenting programs?

2. The prevalence of disruptive behaviour disorders in children and how parenting programmes can lead to long-lasting positive outcomes. 

3. The effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing in increasing attendance and the engagement challenges faced by online parenting programmes.

4. How can incentives influence parents to register for programs and if the size and immediacy of incentives matter for effectiveness.

5. Understanding barriers to attendance is crucial for engagement strategies and how policy changes may be needed to implement financial incentives effectively.

6. Areas of future research, including modernizing parenting programs for today's families.

Paper Link

https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12746