Findings compared to parent-child interaction therapy in children with clinically significant externalizing behavior problems<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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THURSDAY, Dec. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) \u2013 A smartwatch system helps parents shorten and defuse children’s severe tantrums, according to a study published online Dec. 15 in JAMA Network Open<\/em>.<\/p>\n Magdalena Romanowicz, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues evaluated the feasibility and adherence of a digitally augmented, real-time, proactive behavioral intervention (smartwatch) for children with disruptive behaviors. Analysis included 50 children (age 3 to 7 years) with clinically significant externalizing behavior problems assigned to either 12 weekly sessions of parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT; treatment as usual) or artificial intelligence (AI)\u2013enhanced PCIT augmented with real-time behavioral outburst alerts.<\/p>\n The researchers found that children wore the watch a median 75.7 percent of the time, achieving the feasibility benchmark. In the PCIT-AI arm, the median response time to behavior prompts was 3.65 seconds. There was no statistically significantly greater numerical improvement in Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI)-intensity percentage change, ECBI-problem percentage change subscale scores, or absolute change in Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire scores. However, children in the PCIT-AI arm had significantly shorter mean tantrum durations (10.4 versus 22.1 minutes) and lower odds of tantrums lasting 15 minutes or more (odds ratio, 3.66).<\/p>\n “This study shows that even small, well-timed interventions can change the trajectory of a child’s emotional dysregulation episode,” Romanowicz said in a statement. “These moments give parents a chance to step in with supportive actions — moving closer, offering reassurance, labeling emotions, and redirecting attention before a tantrum intensifies.”<\/p>\n Several authors reported financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n