Child Abuse, Parenting
Conditions
Brief summary
Multisite randomized trial of a parenting intervention in Liberia for caregivers of young children. Two main objectives of the Parents Make the Difference program are to teach parents (a) skills for decreasing harsh punishments and replacing those with positive ways to manage children's behavior and (b) skills for having more positive interactions with their children, including interactions that encourage learning. As a result of positive changes in parenting, the investigators expect that, over time, children's behavioral and cognitive well-being will improve and that future abuse and poor developmental outcomes will be prevented in the long-term.
Detailed description
This is a multisite randomized trial of a parenting intervention in Liberia for caregivers of young children. The Parents Make the Difference program is designed to teach parents (a) skills for decreasing harsh punishments and replacing those with positive ways to manage children's behavior and (b) skills for having more positive interactions with their children. As a result of positive changes in parenting, the investigators expect that, over time, children's behavioral and cognitive well-being will improve and that the intervention will prevent future abuse and poor developmental outcomes in the long-term. This study will randomize 816 caregivers of children ages 3 or 4 years to 1 of 3 study arms: standard group program, group program plus home visits, waitlist control.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALParents Make the Difference
10 parent training sessions delivered to groups of caregivers
BEHAVIORALParents Make the Difference Plus
10 parent training sessions delivered to groups of caregivers, with 3 home visits
Sponsors
International Rescue Committee
Duke University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* caregiver of child ages 3 or 4 * live within catchment area of each study site * caregiver is at least 18 years old
Exclusion criteria
* does not live with child
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Caregiver use of harsh discipline practices; assessed using Discipline Interview, Locally-derived items | 1 month post treatment | Extent to which caregivers engage in harsh discipline practices |
| Parent-Child Interactions (Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire; Locally-derived items assessing positive interactions) | 1 month post treatment | Quality of parent-child relationships and interactions |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Child social-emotional development and functioning: Ages and Stages Questionnaire; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: emotion problems and peer problems subscales | 1 and 12 months post treatment | Indicators of child emotional problems and problems in peer relationships |
| Child behavior: Locally-derived measure of disruptive/non-compliant behaviors; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (conduct problems subscale) | 1 and 12 months post treatment | Frequency of disruptive behaviors / SDQ items related to behavioral problems |
| Parental Stress: Parental Stress Scale | 1 and 12 months post treatment | Level of caregiver parenting-related stress |
| Parental knowledge of child development: Locally-derived scale | 1 and 12 months post treatment | Locally relevant indicators of parental knowledge about child development |
| Caregiver use of harsh discipline practices; assessed using Discipline Interview, Locally-derived items | 12 months post treatment | Use of harsh discipline practices, including physical and verbal strategies |
| Caregiver mental health: General Health Questionnaire (subscale A), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 | 1 and 12 months post treatment | Indicators of caregiver mental health symptoms |
| Handwashing Behavior Indicators (e.g., access to hand washing station) | 1 and 12 months post treatment | Basic indicators of hand washing behavior and resources |
| Child cognitive skills (verbal ability); assessed with a story comprehension task and instruction-following task | 1 and 12 months post treatment | Child verbal abilities (brief assessment) |
| Marital relationship quality: selected items from Conflict Tactics Scale and locally-derived scale of marital relationship quality | 1 and 12 months post treatment | Indicators of quality of marital interactions, including relationship violence |
| Parent-Child Interactions (Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire; Locally-derived items assessing positive interactions) | 12 months post treatment | Quality of parent-child relationships and interactions |
Countries
Liberia
Outcome results
None listed