title: Parental depression and child conduct problems: evaluation of parental service use and associated costs after attending the Incredible Years Basic Parenting Programme.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is co-morbidity between parental depression and childhood conduct disorder. The Incredible Years (IY) parenting programmes reduce both conduct disorder in children and depression in their parents. Recent U.K. and Ireland trials of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of IY parenting programmes have assessed children's health and social care service use, but little is known about the programme's impact on parental service use. This paper explores whether an above clinical cut-off score on the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI II) is associated with high or low parental health and social care service use in high-risk families receiving the IY Basic Programme.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a secondary analysis of a subsample (N = 119) from the first U.K. community-based randomised controlled trial of the 12-week IY Basic Programme (N = 153). Parents with children at risk of developing conduct disorder were randomised to receive the programme or to a waiting-list control group. BDI II total and BDI II clinical depression cut-off scores were compared to frequencies and costs of parents' service use, at baseline, six, twelve and eighteen months post-baseline for the intervention group and at baseline and six months post-baseline for the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intervention group parents who scored above the clinical cut-off on the BDI II at baseline used more health and social care services than those who scored below at baseline, six and eighteen months. Significant reductions in service use frequencies were found for the intervention group only.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents with higher levels or depression used more health and social care service and parenting programmes have been shown to reduce parental depression and also health and social service use. However, further exploration of depressed parents' service use and the cost implications for publically funded health and social care services is needed.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME), Institute of Medical and Social Care Research, Bangor University, Dean Street Building, LL57 1UT Bangor, Gwynedd, UK. j.charles@bangor.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Joanna M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.forename: Tracey J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Bywater
authors.forename: Rhiannon Tudor
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hutchings
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004505:Education, Nonprofessional / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012947:Social Work / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*