Impact of a Parenting Program in Liberia to Improve Parenting, Education, and Health Outcomes for Children in Liberia

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Parenting Behavior; Pre-academic and Developmental Skills; Malaria Prevention
• Interventions: Behavioral: Parents Make the Difference

• Registration Number: NCT01829815
• Lead Sponsor: International Rescue Committee

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of an intervention to improve parenting practices, pre-academic and developmental skills, and use of mosquito nets for children in kindergarten in Liberia. A rigorous impact evaluation using a randomized, waitlist controlled design will be conducted to measure the impact of the intervention on three primary outcomes: positive parenting skills, children's cognitive and educational skills, and malaria knowledge and prevention behaviors.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2012-08
• Primary Completion: 2013-03
• Study Completion: 2013-03
• Study First Submitted: 2013-04-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2013-04-08
• Study First Posted: 2013-04-11
• Status Verified: 2016-01
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-01-22
• Last Update Posted: 2016-01-25

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 270

Inclusion Criteria

• Parents or primary caregivers (age 18 or above) of children ages 3-7 enrolled in kindergarten
• Resident in one of five study sites

Exclusion Criteria

• Severe cognitive disability of caregiver affecting ability to provide informed consent

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
"Parents Make the Difference"	Parents Make the Difference	Caregivers are enrolled in the 10-session Parents Make the Difference intervention.
Waitlist Control	Parents Make the Difference	Caregivers assigned to the control group received the 10-session Parents Make the Difference intervention after the study was completed.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Parenting Behavior Assessment (adapted from multiple scales for this context)	1 month	This is a caregiver-report survey measures including items on various parenting practices, including: caregiver-child communication; discipline and behavior management practices; caregiver-child affection and shared activities; caregiver involvement in child's school and educational activities. These items will yield several subscores for these different domains. Some items may also be analyzed as single items, as they measure specific and important outcomes (e.g., use of a harsh discipline strategy)
Child Behavior Assessment (items adapted from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire)	1 month	This tool assess children's behaviors and emotional well-being in the domains of hyperactivity, anger, aggression, mood, and peer relationships. They will be analyzed as an overall score, and single items may be analyzed for certain behaviors or indicators of emotional well-being.
Child Cognitive / Pre-Academic Abilities and Emotional Well-being	1 month	Children will be administered activity-based items to assess a range of cognitive and learning skills, including verbal and language skills (as measured by several activities), numeracy, and pattern recognition. Items will be combined into composite scores but may also be analyzed separately to measure outcomes on specific abilities (e.g., counting). Children will also be asked five questions related to their emotional well-being adapted from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. These items will be analyzed as a sum score, and individual items may be analyzed for specific indicators of emotional well-being.
Parenting Self-Efficacy and Beliefs Assessment (adapted from other scales for this context; includes unique items developed for this context)	1 month	These items assess parents' confidence in their parenting abilities and their beliefs about caregiving practices. This measure will yield separate scores for self-efficacy and beliefs about caregiving practices. Some items may also be analyzed as single items, as they measure specific and important outcomes (e.g., parents' belief about an aspect of harsh discipline)
Parent-Child Interaction Observation	1 month	Caregivers and children in the study will be asked to engage in a play interaction for five minutes, and their verbal interactions will be audio-recorded. Recordings will be coded for specific behaviors. The coding system is adapted from the Dyadic Parent Child Interaction Coding System.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Mosquito net usage	1 month	A survey will be used to assess mosquito net usage by household members. Items will be analyzed separately to assess discrete behaviors (e.g., whether child him/herself slept under the net; whether any adult(s) slept under the net)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

International Rescue Committee; 🇱🇷 Voinjama, Lofa County, Liberia