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Oregon Model of Parent Management Training (PMTO)

Scientific Rating:
1
Well-Supported by Research Evidence
See scale of 1-5
Child Welfare Relevance Rating:
2
Medium
See scale of 1-3

Note: The PMTO program was not responsive to the CEBC's inquiry. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources.

Brief Description

The Oregon Model of Parent Management Training (PMTO) program has been rated by the CEBC in the areas of: Disruptive Behavior Treatment (Child & Adolescent) and Parent Training.

  • Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being
  • Types of Maltreatment: Does not target any specific kind of maltreatment
  • Target Population: Not Specified

PMTO is a preventive intervention aimed at promoting healthy parenting, especially in families with risk factors such as changes in family structure, parent psychological problems, poverty, and trauma. The intervention focuses on five parenting practices:

  1. appropriate discipline
  2. skill encouraging
  3. monitoring
  4. problem solving
  5. positive involvement.

An adjunct version of the program addresses concerns of divorced parents, including managing negative emotions and interpersonal conflict.

Education and Training Resources

Publicly available information indicates there is a manual that describes how to implement this program.
See contact info below.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

This program is rated a "1 - Well-Supported by Research Evidence" on the Scientific Rating Scale based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The practice must have at least two rigorous randomized controlled trials with one showing a sustained effect of at least 1 year. Please see the Scientific Rating Scale for more information.

Show relevant research...

Forgatch, M. S., & DeGarmo, D. S. (1999). Parenting through change: An effective prevention program for single mothers. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67(5), 711-724.

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 238 mothers with sons

Population:

  • Age range — Mothers, 34.8 years; boys, 7.8 years, on average.
  • Race/Ethnicity — 86% White, 1% African American, 2% Latino, 2% Native American, 9% Other.
  • Gender — Not Specified
  • Status — Recently separated mothers with sons recruited through media, community, and divorce court records.

Location / Institution: Oregon

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Recruited mothers were required to have been separated from their partners in the prior 3-24 months and to be living with their sons. Two-thirds of the participants were randomly assigned to receive the Oregon Model of Parent Management Training (PMTO) based treatment and one-third received no intervention. Mothers and sons were assessed on 8 structured interaction tasks in the laboratory, which were scored using the Interpersonal Process Code. Observers noted negative reinforcement, negative reciprocal behavior by mothers, positive involvement, skill encouragement, and problem solving outcomes. Outcomes were also assessed using standardized measures. Teachers filled out the Teacher Report Form (TRF) of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and prosocial behavior items from the Chedoke-McMaster Teacher Questionnaire. Boys completed the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and a peer-adjustment scale. Mothers completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results showed that over the assessment period, mothers in the intervention group reduced negative parenting and increased positive involvement, while control-group mothers showed the reverse pattern. There were no intervention effects on child adjustment, which the authors attribute to the relative short assessment period.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: Approximately 6 months post-intervention.

Patterson, G. R., DeGarmo, D., & Forgatch, M. S. (2004). Systematic changes in families following prevention trials. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32(6), 621-633.

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 238

Population:

  • Age range — Mothers, 34.8 years; boys, 7.8 years, on average.
  • Race/Ethnicity — 86% White, 1% African American, 2% Latino, 2% Native American, 9% Other.
  • Gender — Not Specified
  • Status — Recently separated mothers with sons recruited through media, community, and divorce court records.

Location / Institution: Eugene, OR

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Note: This study uses the same sample as Forgatch & DeGarmo, 1999. Participants were randomly assigned to receive the Oregon Model of Parent Management Training (PMTO) intervention or to a no-treatment control group. Observational and survey outcome measures are described above in Forgatch & DeGarmo, 1999, and included assessments of child noncompliance, aggression, and delinquency and maternal depression, as well as targeted parenting practices. Analyses in the current study looked at the sequence of changes occurring within the family. The authors conclude that parent training was associated with a reduction in externalizing behaviors in boys, which related to improvements in maternal depression. Parent behavior in the treatment group was also shown to have improved internalizing behavior in boys. The authors note that, although groups were randomized to conditions, the current sample was recruited by self-selection and may not be representative of the overall population.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: 12, 18, and 30 months, post-intervention.

DeGarmo, D. S., & Forgatch, M. S. (2007). Efficacy of parent training for stepfathers: From playful spectator and polite stranger to effective stepfathering. Parenting Science and Practice, 7(4), 331-355.

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 110

Population:

  • Age range — 1st through 3rd grade: 7.47 years, on average
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not Specified
  • Gender — Not Specified
  • Status — Families recruited through the media.

Location / Institution: Oregon

Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
Participants in the study were recently married couples that included a step-father. Families were randomly assigned to receive the Oregon Model of Parent Management Training (PMTO) intervention or to a no-treatment control group. Structured interactions of mothers and stepfathers with children were coded from videotapes using the Family and Peer Process Code. The coding focused on reinforcement, positive involvement, problem solving, monitoring and supervision, coercive discipline, negative reciprocity, and negative engagement. Children's noncompliance was also coded. In addition, children were administered the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Loneliness in Children Scale. Results showed that stepfathers in the intervention condition showed improvements at 6 and 12 months, but that these diminished somewhat at 24 months. Limitations include the size and lack of diversity in the sample.

Length of post-intervention follow-up: 12 and 24 months post-intervention.

References

Forgatch, M. S., Bullock, B. M., & Patterson, G. R. (2004). From theory to practice: increasing effective parenting through role-play. The Oregon Model of Parent Management Training (PMTO). In H. Steiner (ed.), Handbook of mental health interventions in children and adolescents: An integrated developmental approach (pp. 782-814). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Forgatch, M. S., Rains, L. A., & Knutson, N. M. (2002). A course in PMTO: The basic OSLC intervention model (Vols. 1, 2, & 3). Eugene, OR: Oregon Social Learning Center.

Knutson, N. M., Forgatch, M. S., & Rains, L. A. (2003). Fidelity of Implementation Rating System (FIMP): The training manual for PMTO. Eugene, OR: Oregon Social Learning Center.

Contact Information

Name: Marion Forgatch, PhD
Agency/Affiliation: Implementation Sciences International, Inc. (ISII)
Website: www.isii.net
Email:
Phone: (541) 485-2711

Date Reviewed: October 2009