Desiatnikov, Alexander; (2025) The Teenager and their Parent: Validating Adolescent Assessment Tools and Developing and Evaluating a Novel Universal Parenting Intervention. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This doctoral thesis explores the development and validation of assessment tools for adolescents and the creation and evaluation of a universal parenting intervention. The research addresses a significant gap in adolescent mental health and parenting support, recognizing the unique challenges faced by teenagers and their parents during this critical developmental stage. The thesis comprises several interconnected studies. A systematic review of universal interventions for parents of teenagers synthesizes evidence on effectiveness, retention rates, and intervention characteristics. The psychometric properties of the Current View Tool (CVT) are investigated, evaluating its predictive accuracy and utility in resource allocation within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. The development and preliminary validation of the Epistemic Trust Towards Teachers Questionnaire is presented, offering a novel tool to assess the quality of adolescents' relationships with adults in school. The research examines developmental changes in social cognition from adolescence into young adulthood using self-report measures. Building on these studies, the thesis details the manualisation of a universal intervention for parents of adolescents, named the Approach to Parenting Teenagers (APT), outlining its key techniques, treatment phases, and core components. A preliminary evaluation of APT assesses its feasibility and real-world effectiveness through a pre-post study design. Finally, the initiation of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of APT is outlined, incorporating validated measures. This comprehensive examination of adolescent development, parenting interventions, and assessment tools significantly enhances understanding of how to support adolescents and their parents during this critical developmental period. The findings hold essential implications for clinical practice, policy-making, and future research in adolescent mental health and family intervention fields.

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