text4FATHER R21: Social Media - Efficacy Trial

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Nuclear Family; Fathers; Mobile Health
• Interventions: Behavioral: text4FATHER

• Registration Number: NCT06289101
• Lead Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University

Brief Summary

This project will be the first to examine the efficacy of a text messaging intervention designed to recruit first-time fathers-to-be using social media across the U.S. to become involved during pregnancy through two months of postnatal age to support infant, mother, and father well-being.

Detailed Description

Father engagement in the prenatal and infant periods is associated with improved infant outcomes (e.g., physical, social and emotional health and development), and mother and father well-being. However, this key window of opportunity has been insufficiently leveraged to promote father engagement, especially, first-time fathers-to-be.

text4FATHER, a multi-modal text messaging program, is designed to increase first-time fathers' knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioral engagement. text4FATHER sends texts twice-weekly to fathers with threaded content to support infant, partner, and father well-being including resource weblinks to support behavior change from mid-pregnancy through 2 months postnatally. Text content was developed using formative research and feedback from the target population, consensus building with experts, and an evidence-based review.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2024-02-26
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-02-26
• Study First Posted: 2024-03-01
• Status Verified: 2024-08
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-08-26
• Last Update Posted: 2024-08-27
• Study Start: 2024-09
• Primary Completion: 2025-08
• Study Completion: 2025-10

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 180

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged ≥18 years
• Live in the U.S.
• Speak English
• Mother gestational age at enrollment less than 25 weeks
• First-time father-to-be
• Willing/able to receive texts.

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Exclusion Criteria

• Individuals who are minors
• Do not speak English
• Unable to provide informed consent
• Not a first-time father
• Not willing/unable to receive texts
• In the past 12 months, any safety concern reported between father-to-be and the mother-to-be, including report of any physical, emotional, sexual harm, threatening behaviors, police involvement, restraining or protective order

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
text4FATHER	text4FATHER	Receipt of twice-weekly texts that include resource links and instructions to support behavior change (e.g., videos, infographics) and start mid-pregnancy and continuing through 2 months of baby's age.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS)	Baseline and 7 months	Self-report measure with higher score indicating greater confidence in infant care behaviors. This measure is scaled with range from 0 (no, hardly ever) to 3 (yes, most times). Mean range 0-3.
Father Engagement Scale (FES)	Baseline and 7 months	Self-report measure with higher score indicating greater degree of father engagement in infant care activities. This measure is scaled with range from 0 (never) to 4 (every day or almost every day). Mean range 0-4.
Change in Self-efficacy as assessed by the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC)	Baseline and 7 months	Self-report measure with higher score indicating greater confidence in overall parenting skills. This measure is scaled with range from 1 (low) to 6 (high). Mean range 1-6.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Johns Hopkins University; 🇺🇸 Baltimore, Maryland, United States