COVID-19 e-Parenting for Lifelong Health (ePLH) Pilot Study: Promoting Positive Parenting and Preventing Violence Through Online Parent Support Groups - ParentChat
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- University of Oxford
- Enrollment
- 522
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Child maltreatment - physical abuse and emotional abuse: Frequency of overall abuse
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Pilot trial：
The feasibility study of the programme modules has a pre-post design with no control group, with the aims of assessing programme implementation, cultural and contextual relevance, and study feasibility. Although there will be no comparison group and it is not designed to test effects, the study also has a provisional goal of reductions in child physical and emotional abuse at immediate post-intervention.
Pre-post design:
The ePLH parent support groups will be delivered over a 8 week period (i.e., 7-8 short online interactive group sessions, two per week). The programme will include text/audio messages, illustrated comics, videos, and activity assignments for parents to do with their children. ePLH facilitators will moderate discussions around the parenting theme, support parents on an individual basis, and encourage them to apply the parenting skills at home. Parents will be prompted to give feedback regarding successes and challenges applying these parenting skills via audio or text messages during the week. The facilitators will begin the next group engagement with a brief voice summary of the feedback and address possible solutions to 2-3 key challenges. Facilitators will also be provided with weekly supervision by an ePLH coach or trainer. A designated research assistant will provide parent support groups with needed technical support during the implementation - including IT-related support. Data bundles will be provided for internet access and to incentivise engagement.
Detailed Description
Recruitment of six countries:
This study will use targeted/purposive sampling to recruit participating parents or caregivers (n = 30-100 in Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Philippines; 400 in South Africa). Groups will start to operate after at least 7 members have been consented and can have up to 15 members per group.
Malaysia: The National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) is our partner organisation for both the Semarak Kasih Parenting Program (2018-2020) and e-Semarak Kasih / ParentChat. A total of 24 staff of LPPKN have been trained for the Semarak Kasih Parenting Program, of which, 12 of them have conducted the actual program. The majority of these facilitators are University graduates holding various posts at LPPKN such as counsellors, Information Officers and Community Development Officers.
Moldova: The Health for Youth Association, has been implementing PLH for children 2-9 years in the country, in cooperation with Youth Klinics network. In Moldova, the program will be focused on caregivers/parents of adolescents (10-17 years old). The Moldovan research team will identify potential eligible parents to invite to participate in ParentChat through a) social media pages (FB, OK) of the Youth Klinics network, b) through the announcement of different partners organizations that work in social support area, and c) through the communication with YK consultants who work with parents of adolescents.
Montenegro: In Montenegro, trained facilitators from our implementing partners (health centres, kindergartens and NGOs) will recruit families by applying the same strategies used for face-to-face PLH:
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Na
- Intervention Model
- Single Group
- Primary Purpose
- Prevention
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •for participating parents or caregivers (n = 30-100 in Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Philippines; 500 in South Africa):
- •Any person over the age of 18 years currently caring for child between the ages of 2 to 17 years
- •Has regular contact with the child and spends time with the child at least two times a week
- •Has access to a smartphone and is willing to join an online parenting support group to share, learn and discuss parenting
- •Has provided consent to participate in the study
- •Inclusion criteria for facilitator and moderator (n = 10 per country):
- •Age 18 or older
- •Prior participation in a facilitator or moderator training workshop
- •Agreement to implement the entire programme
- •Provision of consent to participate in the full study
Exclusion Criteria
- •for parents or caregivers and for facilitators and moderators:
- •Children below 18 years old
- •Those who do not give consent to participate in the research.
Arms & Interventions
ParentChat for parents of children ages 2-17
The ePLH parent support groups will be delivered over a 8 week period (i.e., 7-8 short online interactive group sessions, two per week). ePLH facilitators will moderate discussions around the parenting theme, support parents on an individual basis, and encourage them to apply the parenting skills at home. The facilitators will begin the next group engagement with a brief voice summary of the feedback and address possible solutions to 2-3 key challenges. Facilitators will also be provided with weekly supervision by an ePLH coach or trainer. A designated research assistant will provide parent support groups with needed technical support during the implementation - including IT-related support. Data bundles will be provided for internet access and to incentivise engagement.
Intervention: ParentChat for parents of children ages 2-17 (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Child maltreatment - physical abuse and emotional abuse: Frequency of overall abuse
Time Frame: Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment)
We will also assess frequency of overall abuse by summing all of the subscales as well as for each individual subscale.
Parenting stress: Parent Daily Report Checklist
Time Frame: Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment)
One item adapted from the Parent Daily Report (PDR) will be used to assess parenting stress \[19\] at baseline, post-test, and every week during programme delivery. Parents will report about their behaviour within the past week instead of the past 24 hours. The item asks, "how many times in the past week did you feel very stressed as a parent/caregiver?" The items will be rated on a frequency scale of 0 to 7, or 8 or more times.
Positive parenting: Parent Daily Report Checklist
Time Frame: Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment)
Two items adapted from the Parent Daily Report (PDR) will be used to assess positive parenting \[19\] at baseline, post-test, and every week during programme delivery. Parents will report about their behaviour within the past week instead of the past 24 hours. The two items are "how many times in the past week did you and your child do something fun together?" and "how many times in the past week did you praise your child for doing well?" The items will be rated on a frequency scale of 0 to 7, or 8 or more times.
Child maltreatment - physical abuse and emotional abuse: ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool-Intervention (ICAST-TP) - Physical and Emotional Abuse Subscales
Time Frame: Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment)
Physical abuse (including abusive discipline), emotional abuse, and neglect will be measured using 4 items from reduced version of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool-Trial Parent version (ICAST-TP). The ICAST-TP measures parental reports of the incidence of abuse perpetrated against their child over the past month using a frequency score on a scale of 0 to 7, or 8 or more times (e.g., "In the past 4 weeks, how often did you discipline \[Child Nickname\] by spanking, slapping, or hitting with your hand?"). This study will assess frequency of child maltreatment for physical abuse (2 items) and emotional abuse (2 items), as well as an overall indication of previous child abuse (0 = no abuse; 1 = previous abuse).
Secondary Outcomes
- Child behaviour problems: Three Problem Rating Scale - Parent Report(Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment))
- Attitude toward punishment: Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 5 Child Discipline module - Parent Report(Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment))
- Positive parenting: Fortnightly Assessments(Change between T0 (baseline), T2 (2 weeks), T4 (4 weeks), T6 (6 weeks), T8 (8 weeks) and post-test at T10 (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment))
- Sexual abuse risk: Parent Report(Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment))
- Child behaviour problems: Child and Adolescent Behaviour Inventory (CAPI) - Parent Report(Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment))
- Parent exposure to IPV and intimate partner coercion: WHO Multi-Country Questionnaire on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women (WHO) - Parent Report(Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment))
- Parent exposure to IPV and intimate partner coercion: Revised Conflict Tactics Scale Short Form (CTS2S)(Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment))
- Child maltreatment - physical abuse and emotional abuse: Fortnightly Assessments(Change between T0 (baseline), T2 (2 weeks), T4 (4 weeks), T6 (6 weeks), T8 (8 weeks) and post-test at T10 (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment))
- Parenting Stress: Fortnightly Assessments(Change between T0 (baseline), T2 (2 weeks), T4 (4 weeks), T6 (6 weeks), T8 (8 weeks) and post-test at T10 (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment))
- Parent well-being: Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) - Parent Report(Change between Baseline and Post (approx. 1 month after end of intervention, i.e., 3 months post pre-assessment))
Investigators
DrJamieLachman
Principal Investigator
University of Oxford