Management of Conflict of Interest in Psychosocial Research on Parenting and Family Interventions

Abstract:

A transparent research process is needed to promote professional and public confidence in findings arising from trials on parenting and family interventions. Findings from studies that involve developers in testing psychosocial interventions have come under criticism for potential bias attributed to financial conflicts of interest (COI) and inconsistent disclosure of such interests. Using Triple P as an example, this paper discusses how program developers can effectively manage the COI disclosure process to promote greater transparency and thereby strengthen the confidence of researchers, practitioners, policy makers and the general public in the efficacy of an intervention. Developer-involved and independent evaluations have a complementary role in building the empirical base for evidence-based interventions. The challenges developers, non-developer evaluators, and journal editors face in managing COI are discussed and possible solutions are proposed.