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DadSpace: Increasing Community Support Resources for Perinatal Fathers

DadSpace: Increasing Community Support Resources for Perinatal Fathers

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05063448
Enrollment
20
Registered
2021-10-01
Start date
2021-08-06
Completion date
2022-12-31
Last updated
2025-12-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Family Relations, Father-Child Relations, Paternal Behavior

Keywords

Perinatal

Brief summary

The project is aimed at meeting the support needs of community fathers who are expecting a baby or who have recently had a baby. This work is being conducted in conjunction with community partners through The Women's Clinic of Northern Colorado (WCNC). Researchers and WCNC staff will work together to develop and implement programs for prenatal and postpartum fathers. Participants will be invited to a group mentoring program and also will be provided access to supplementary educational podcasts focused on topics relevant to prenatal and postpartum fathers. The investigators are seeking to understand what participants like and don't like about the program and how participation in the program affects participants' stress, well-being, and parenting.

Detailed description

The investigators are building on previous work to identify opportunities to meet the needs of perinatal fathers. The term perinatal encompasses the time leading up to and immediately following the birth of a child. Father involvement in child rearing is beneficial to mothers and children, but fathers are routinely overlooked by available support opportunities at the transition to parenthood. This pilot project seeks to apply research evidence and best practices to address the disparity in socioemotional community support and education programs serving perinatal fathers. In a previous pilot study, the investigators learned from fathers participating in focus groups that participants were interested in opportunities to connect with other fathers in the same life stage to talk about personal experiences and learn from each other. The investigators also learned that fathers worry about meeting varied role expectations, that available resources tend to overlook the unique experiences of fathers, and that it can be challenging to find quality information in a digital world saturated with conflicting information about parenting. This project seeks to address these primary issues through community-based, father-centric support and educational programs. WCNC education staff will facilitate a discussion-based group mentoring program for fathers who are expecting or recently had a baby. This program seeks to increase connection with other fathers, reduce stress related to parenting a baby, and increase parenting confidence. The investigators plan to evaluate the feasibility of the program through satisfaction surveys and other measures of the program's implementation. The investigators also plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the program by providing participants with surveys asking about their well-being, knowledge, confidence in parenting, and their satisfaction with their social networks. The investigators are additionally developing educational podcasts focused on topics relevant to prenatal and postpartum fathers, which will be evaluated as a supplementary component to the mentoring program. Research objectives are the following: Study 1, Objective 1 (Primary): The investigators seek to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a program targeting perinatal fathers offered in a community clinic setting. Study 1, Objective 2 (Primary): Examine whether participating in a discussion-based group mentoring program increases the likelihood of positive short-term outcomes for fathers. Study 1 Objective 3 (Secondary): Identify whether listening to brief, targeted educational podcasts predicts increased positive outcomes for fathers over and above the mentoring group alone. Study 2 Objective 1 (Primary): Identify whether participants who listen to brief, targeted educational podcasts find the podcasts satisfactory and acceptable as a method of gaining information about perinatal fatherhood.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALDadSpace

A group educational support and mentoring program for perinatal fathers.

Sponsors

Colorado Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute
CollaboratorOTHER
Colorado State University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Perinatal father support primary intervention is small group mentoring program (with pre/post test data) run by educators at The Women's Clinic (TWC). Participants who sign up for the program early enough will be provided surveys approximately 1 month prior to the intervention start to provide a non-randomized wait-list comparison. Participants will additionally have access to follow-up daddy/baby drop-in groups and a podcast series and may be provided satisfaction surveys for both.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Participants must be expecting a baby or have a baby less than one year of age and planning to take the DadSpace mentoring program.

Exclusion criteria

* Non-English speaking

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Self-Perceptions of the Parental Role-Competence ScaleEvery 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-upA 6-item measure of feelings of efficacy/competence in the parental role. Items are weighted on a range from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher confidence in the parental role, a better outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 4 to 24.
Change in Knowledge of Infant Development InventoryEvery 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-upThis 19-item abbreviated version of the inventory assesses accurate knowledge of infant development. The first 11 items are rated as true or false and include questions such as Babies may cry for 20-30 minutes at a time, no matter how much you try to comfort them and Some parents do not bond until their baby starts to smile and look at them. An additional 6 items ask parents to rate whether they think babies can do something at the age listed in the item or whether the developmental task (e.g., Six-month-olds know what 'no' means.) occurs in younger or older children. Two additional items ask respondents to choose the best way to respond to potentially stressful infant behaviors (breaking things and fussing at night). Item responses are scored as correct or incorrect with percent correct as the final measure.
Change in Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (Short Form)Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up10 items assessing feelings of upset and anxiety versus contentment at the present time. Item values range from 1 to 4 with a higher score indicating higher state anxiety, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a total possible range from 6 to 24.
Change in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression ScaleEvery 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up10 items that measure core features of postnatal depression. Item values range from 0 to 3 with a higher score indicating higher depressive symptoms, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 0 - 30.
Change in Perceived Stress ScaleEvery 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up10 items related to anxiety, stress, and coping with upsets. Items values range from 0 to 4 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 0 to 40.
Change in Role Conflict ScaleEvery 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up2 subscales that assess work conflict with family life, family life conflict with work, and work-family balance. Item values range from 1 to 6. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range of 8 to 48.
Change in Social Network Questionnaire-Satisfaction ScaleEvery 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up7 yes/no items on satisfaction with the support received from one's social network. More yes answers indicates lower satisfaction with the social network, a worse outcome. Scores are reverse-scored and totaled with a possible range from 0 to 7 so that higher scores indicate more satisfaction.
Change in Coparenting Relationship Scale - BriefEvery 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up13 items assessing coparent collaboration versus conflict related to child rearing. Items values range from 0 to 6 with higher scores indicating a better coparenting relationship. Items are totaled with a possible range from 0 - 72.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Paternal Postnatal Attachment ScaleEvery 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-upAssesses fathers' positive feelings versus lack of enjoyment with the baby. Item values have been revised from the original scale to range from 1 to 6 with higher scores indicating more positive feelings toward the baby. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 19 to 114.
Change in Pearlin Mastery ScaleEvery 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up7-item measure of general self-efficacy versus helplessness. Item values range from 1 to 6 with higher scores indicating worse self-efficacy. Scores are totaled with a total possible range from 6 to 42.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
AttendanceMeasured across the 8 weeks of intervention delivery with one session offered per week.Number of total sessions attended by participants (dosage)
Workshop Environment ScaleParticipants completed the workshop environment scale at posttest (time 3).The Workshop Environment Scale provides a measure of group dynamics and facilitator alliance. Items were adapted to fit the specific program and reduced to 10 questions scaled from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree), with higher scores indicating more positive perceptions of the workshop environment, a better outcome. Item scores were summed to produce a total score with a possible range of 4 to 40.
Satisfaction With DadSpace ProgramImmediately after the end of the interventionFathers rate their overall satisfaction with the utility of each of the eight sessions on a scale from 0 to 10 with higher scores indicating more satisfaction. Scores are averaged for an average satisfaction score.
Support Group Social Exchange ScaleImmediately after the interventionThe 27-item Support Group Social Exchange Scale assesses various types of social exchanges that can occur in support group dynamics, including experiential knowledge, emotional support, humor, and unwanted behavior. We removed three of the five items asking about humor, reducing the number of items to 24. Items statements (e.g., I shared my personal problems with group members) are rated from 0 (never) to 6 (always). Three items ask participants to rate the number of times they interacted with other participants outside of group meetings, such as by doing favors for and socializing with each other, with ordinal response categories ranging from 0 (0 times) to 4 (10 or more times). Item scores are summed to produce a total score for each participant with a possible range from 0 to 156. Higher scores indicate a more positive perception of group social dynamics, a better outcome.
Participant EngagementMeasured after each of 8 weekly sessions. Scores for each week were averaged to produce a total score of engagement for all participants.Facilitator ratings of participants' active participation and evidence that fathers have been trying out skills covered in classes. Engagement was measured by totaling scores from two items. Item one asked facilitator's to rate how active participants were in participating in class measured on a scale from 0 (passive) to 5 (active). Item two asked facilitators to rate the degree to which they have observed the participants trying out the skills they are learning in class on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (yes, quite a lot). After summing scores for the two items, engagement has a possible range of 0-8. Higher scores indicate more engagement, a better outcome.Total scores were averaged to produce a single score of engagement across all weekly sessions and cohorts.
Helpfulness of Information SourcesMeasured at posttest, 8 weeks after pretest.Fathers report on how helpful they found the provided resources (e.g., handouts) on a scale from 1 to 4 with a higher score indicating a higher degree of helpfulness, a better outcome.
Facilitator Fidelity to ProtocolMeasured across the 8 weeks of intervention deliveryA checklist of intervention items completed by the facilitator to identify adherence to the intervention protocol.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
DadSpace Intervention
Participants will take part in a 12-hour educational discussion-based mentoring program intervention over 8 weeks. The intervention will be facilitated by a trained father facilitator and will include education and support on topics relevant to perinatal fathers. Topics include father identity, stress management, infant development, co-parenting, masculinity and caregiving, healthy communication, and work-life balance. Participants will additionally have access to a brief educational podcast series on related topics. Participants will also be invited to monthly follow-up daddy/baby drop-in groups. DadSpace: A group educational support and mentoring program for perinatal fathers.
19
Total19

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject1

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicDadSpace Intervention
Additional Children: Yes, No
Also has older children
1 Participants
Additional Children: Yes, No
Does not also have older children
18 Participants
Age, Continuous35.21 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.48
Birth Status: Prenatal, Postpartum
Postpartum, baby has been born
7 Participants
Birth Status: Prenatal, Postpartum
Prenatal, expecting baby
12 Participants
Household Income
$20,000-39,999
1 Participants
Household Income
$40,000-59,999
2 Participants
Household Income
$60,000-84,999
1 Participants
Household Income
$85,000+
15 Participants
Marital Status
Divorced
0 Participants
Marital Status
Married
18 Participants
Marital Status
Single never married
1 Participants
Marital Status
Widowed
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
16 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
19 Participants
Residential Status: Reside or Not Reside with Infant
Does not reside in home with infant
1 Participants
Residential Status: Reside or Not Reside with Infant
N/A (baby not born)
12 Participants
Residential Status: Reside or Not Reside with Infant
Resides in home with infant
6 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
0 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
19 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 19
other
Total, other adverse events
1 / 19
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 19

Outcome results

Primary

Change in Coparenting Relationship Scale - Brief

13 items assessing coparent collaboration versus conflict related to child rearing. Items values range from 0 to 6 with higher scores indicating a better coparenting relationship. Items are totaled with a possible range from 0 - 72.

Time frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Population: Participants who completed surveys at any time point.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionChange in Coparenting Relationship Scale - BriefBaseline51.83 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 5.51
DadSpace InterventionChange in Coparenting Relationship Scale - BriefMid-intervention51.94 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.95
DadSpace InterventionChange in Coparenting Relationship Scale - BriefPosttest51.00 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 8.19
DadSpace InterventionChange in Coparenting Relationship Scale - BriefFollow-up51.00 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.67
Primary

Change in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale

10 items that measure core features of postnatal depression. Item values range from 0 to 3 with a higher score indicating higher depressive symptoms, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 0 - 30.

Time frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Population: DadSpace participants who completed surveys.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionChange in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression ScaleBaseline7.17 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 6.19
DadSpace InterventionChange in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression ScaleMid-intervention6.39 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 5.45
DadSpace InterventionChange in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression ScalePosttest7.22 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 5.82
DadSpace InterventionChange in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression ScaleFollow-up7.67 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 5.07
Comparison: Reliable change indices compare participants to themselves from Time 1 (baseline) and Time 3 (post-intervention). Reliable change indices measure whether the score change of individual participants is more than would be expected based on measurement error alone. Reliable change results are presented as number of participants who fell outside of the reliable change confidence interval in each direction indicating reliable increases or decreases in score.95% CI: [-2.27, 4.37]
Primary

Change in Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory

This 19-item abbreviated version of the inventory assesses accurate knowledge of infant development. The first 11 items are rated as true or false and include questions such as Babies may cry for 20-30 minutes at a time, no matter how much you try to comfort them and Some parents do not bond until their baby starts to smile and look at them. An additional 6 items ask parents to rate whether they think babies can do something at the age listed in the item or whether the developmental task (e.g., Six-month-olds know what 'no' means.) occurs in younger or older children. Two additional items ask respondents to choose the best way to respond to potentially stressful infant behaviors (breaking things and fussing at night). Item responses are scored as correct or incorrect with percent correct as the final measure.

Time frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Population: Participants who participated in baseline and posttest surveys.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionChange in Knowledge of Infant Development InventoryBaseline77.78 Percent correctStandard Deviation 10.3
DadSpace InterventionChange in Knowledge of Infant Development InventoryMid-intervention81.87 Percent correctStandard Deviation 6.56
DadSpace InterventionChange in Knowledge of Infant Development InventoryPosttest67.25 Percent correctStandard Deviation 13.7
DadSpace InterventionChange in Knowledge of Infant Development InventoryFollow-up78.95 Percent correctStandard Deviation 11.43
Primary

Change in Perceived Stress Scale

10 items related to anxiety, stress, and coping with upsets. Items values range from 0 to 4 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 0 to 40.

Time frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Population: DadSpace participants who completed surveys.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionChange in Perceived Stress ScaleBaseline16.66 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 5.48
DadSpace InterventionChange in Perceived Stress ScaleMid-intervention15.61 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 6.12
DadSpace InterventionChange in Perceived Stress ScalePosttest16.50 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.21
DadSpace InterventionChange in Perceived Stress ScaleFollow-up17.00 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 5.84
Comparison: Reliable change indices compare participants to themselves from Time 1 (baseline) and Time 3 (post-intervention). Reliable change indices measure whether the score change of individual participants is more than would be expected based on measurement error alone. Reliable change results are presented as number of participants who fell outside of the reliable change confidence interval in each direction indicating reliable increases or decreases in score..95% CI: [-3.78, 5.78]
Primary

Change in Role Conflict Scale

2 subscales that assess work conflict with family life, family life conflict with work, and work-family balance. Item values range from 1 to 6. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range of 8 to 48.

Time frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Population: Participants who completed surveys at any time point.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionChange in Role Conflict ScaleBaseline21.50 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.22
DadSpace InterventionChange in Role Conflict ScaleMid-intervention21.00 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.98
DadSpace InterventionChange in Role Conflict ScalePosttest22.22 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.47
DadSpace InterventionChange in Role Conflict ScaleFollow-up20.80 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 8.81
Comparison: Reliable change indices compare participants to themselves from Time 1 (baseline) and Time 3 (post-intervention). Reliable change indices measure whether the score change of individual participants is more than would be expected based on measurement error alone. Reliable change results are presented as number of participants who fell outside of the reliable change confidence interval in each direction indicating reliable increases or decreases in score.95% CI: [-4.97, 6.97]
Primary

Change in Self-Perceptions of the Parental Role-Competence Scale

A 6-item measure of feelings of efficacy/competence in the parental role. Items are weighted on a range from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher confidence in the parental role, a better outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 4 to 24.

Time frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Population: DadSpace participants who completed the posttest survey

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionChange in Self-Perceptions of the Parental Role-Competence ScalePosttest18.89 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.12
DadSpace InterventionChange in Self-Perceptions of the Parental Role-Competence ScaleBaseline17.18 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.57
DadSpace InterventionChange in Self-Perceptions of the Parental Role-Competence ScaleMid-intervention18.39 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.24
DadSpace InterventionChange in Self-Perceptions of the Parental Role-Competence ScaleFollow-up19.33 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.7
Comparison: Reliable change indices compare participants to themselves from Time 1 (baseline) and Time 3 (post-intervention). Reliable change indices measure whether the score change of individual participants is more than would be expected based on measurement error alone. Reliable change results are presented as number of participants who fell outside of the reliable change confidence interval in each direction indicating reliable increases or decreases in score.95% CI: [-1.47, 3.47]
Comparison: Paired samples t-test was used to compare group average pretest (time 1) and posttest (time 3) scores of self-perceptions of the parental role, a measure of parenting confidence.p-value: 0.022t-test, 2 sided
Primary

Change in Social Network Questionnaire-Satisfaction Scale

7 yes/no items on satisfaction with the support received from one's social network. More yes answers indicates lower satisfaction with the social network, a worse outcome. Scores are reverse-scored and totaled with a possible range from 0 to 7 so that higher scores indicate more satisfaction.

Time frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Population: DadSpace participants who completed surveys at any of the time-points.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionChange in Social Network Questionnaire-Satisfaction ScaleBaseline4.56 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.23
DadSpace InterventionChange in Social Network Questionnaire-Satisfaction ScaleMid-intervention4.72 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.32
DadSpace InterventionChange in Social Network Questionnaire-Satisfaction ScalePosttest4.67 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.38
DadSpace InterventionChange in Social Network Questionnaire-Satisfaction ScaleFollow-up4.80 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.37
Comparison: Reliable change indices compare participants to themselves from Time 1 (baseline) and Time 3 (post-intervention). Reliable change indices measure whether the score change of individual participants is more than would be expected based on measurement error alone. Reliable change results are presented as number of participants who fell outside of the reliable change confidence interval in each direction indicating reliable increases or decreases in score.95% CI: [-0.84, 2.84]
Primary

Change in Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (Short Form)

10 items assessing feelings of upset and anxiety versus contentment at the present time. Item values range from 1 to 4 with a higher score indicating higher state anxiety, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a total possible range from 6 to 24.

Time frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Population: DadSpace participants who completed surveys at any timepoint.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionChange in Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (Short Form)Baseline11.33 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 4.52
DadSpace InterventionChange in Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (Short Form)Mid-intervention10.89 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 4.44
DadSpace InterventionChange in Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (Short Form)Posttest11.94 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.99
DadSpace InterventionChange in Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (Short Form)Follow-up11.47 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 4.21
Comparison: Reliable change indices compare participants to themselves from Time 1 (baseline) and Time 3 (post-intervention). Reliable change indices measure whether the score change of individual participants is more than would be expected based on measurement error alone. Reliable change results are presented as number of participants who fell outside of the reliable change confidence interval in each direction indicating reliable increases or decreases in score.95% CI: [-1.8, 3.8]
Secondary

Change in Paternal Postnatal Attachment Scale

Assesses fathers' positive feelings versus lack of enjoyment with the baby. Item values have been revised from the original scale to range from 1 to 6 with higher scores indicating more positive feelings toward the baby. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 19 to 114.

Time frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Population: Participants who completed surveys and whose babies have been born by the selected time-point.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionChange in Paternal Postnatal Attachment ScaleBaseline101.20 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 11.86
DadSpace InterventionChange in Paternal Postnatal Attachment ScaleMid-intervention92.53 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 18.89
DadSpace InterventionChange in Paternal Postnatal Attachment ScalePosttest93.44 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 16.44
DadSpace InterventionChange in Paternal Postnatal Attachment ScaleFollow-up92.50 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 15.64
Secondary

Change in Pearlin Mastery Scale

7-item measure of general self-efficacy versus helplessness. Item values range from 1 to 6 with higher scores indicating worse self-efficacy. Scores are totaled with a total possible range from 6 to 42.

Time frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Population: DadSpace participants who completed surveys at any time point.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionChange in Pearlin Mastery ScalePosttest31.94 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.71
DadSpace InterventionChange in Pearlin Mastery ScaleBaseline33.83 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 5.96
DadSpace InterventionChange in Pearlin Mastery ScaleMid-intervention33.11 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 6.72
DadSpace InterventionChange in Pearlin Mastery ScaleFollow-up30.87 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.99
Comparison: Reliable change indices compare participants to themselves from Time 1 (baseline) and Time 3 (post-intervention). Reliable change indices measure whether the score change of individual participants is more than would be expected based on measurement error alone. Reliable change results are presented as number of participants who fell outside of the reliable change confidence interval in each direction indicating reliable increases or decreases in score.95% CI: [-3.03, 5.03]
Other Pre-specified

Attendance

Number of total sessions attended by participants (dosage)

Time frame: Measured across the 8 weeks of intervention delivery with one session offered per week.

Population: Perinatal fathers who participated in the DadSpace program.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionAttendance6.56 total number of sessions attendedStandard Deviation 1.72
Other Pre-specified

Facilitator Fidelity to Protocol

A checklist of intervention items completed by the facilitator to identify adherence to the intervention protocol.

Time frame: Measured across the 8 weeks of intervention delivery

Population: Average fidelity across the two facilitators of the program

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)
DadSpace InterventionFacilitator Fidelity to Protocol92 percentage of manual items covered
Other Pre-specified

Helpfulness of Information Sources

Fathers report on how helpful they found the provided resources (e.g., handouts) on a scale from 1 to 4 with a higher score indicating a higher degree of helpfulness, a better outcome.

Time frame: Measured at posttest, 8 weeks after pretest.

Population: Participants who attended at least two sessions of the program and completed the posttest survey.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionHelpfulness of Information Sources3.53 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.51
Other Pre-specified

Participant Engagement

Facilitator ratings of participants' active participation and evidence that fathers have been trying out skills covered in classes. Engagement was measured by totaling scores from two items. Item one asked facilitator's to rate how active participants were in participating in class measured on a scale from 0 (passive) to 5 (active). Item two asked facilitators to rate the degree to which they have observed the participants trying out the skills they are learning in class on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (yes, quite a lot). After summing scores for the two items, engagement has a possible range of 0-8. Higher scores indicate more engagement, a better outcome.Total scores were averaged to produce a single score of engagement across all weekly sessions and cohorts.

Time frame: Measured after each of 8 weekly sessions. Scores for each week were averaged to produce a total score of engagement for all participants.

Population: Facilitators reported an overall score for all participants in each session. Scores were averaged across weeks and cohorts to produce an overall engagement score.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionParticipant Engagement5.83 units on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.08
Other Pre-specified

Satisfaction With DadSpace Program

Fathers rate their overall satisfaction with the utility of each of the eight sessions on a scale from 0 to 10 with higher scores indicating more satisfaction. Scores are averaged for an average satisfaction score.

Time frame: Immediately after the end of the intervention

Population: Participants who completed at least two weeks of the DadSpace program and completed the posttest survey.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionSatisfaction With DadSpace Program8.10 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 2.03
Other Pre-specified

Support Group Social Exchange Scale

The 27-item Support Group Social Exchange Scale assesses various types of social exchanges that can occur in support group dynamics, including experiential knowledge, emotional support, humor, and unwanted behavior. We removed three of the five items asking about humor, reducing the number of items to 24. Items statements (e.g., I shared my personal problems with group members) are rated from 0 (never) to 6 (always). Three items ask participants to rate the number of times they interacted with other participants outside of group meetings, such as by doing favors for and socializing with each other, with ordinal response categories ranging from 0 (0 times) to 4 (10 or more times). Item scores are summed to produce a total score for each participant with a possible range from 0 to 156. Higher scores indicate a more positive perception of group social dynamics, a better outcome.

Time frame: Immediately after the intervention

Population: Perinatal fathers who completed at least two weeks of the program and completed the posttest survey.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionSupport Group Social Exchange Scale118.94 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 16.71
Other Pre-specified

Workshop Environment Scale

The Workshop Environment Scale provides a measure of group dynamics and facilitator alliance. Items were adapted to fit the specific program and reduced to 10 questions scaled from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree), with higher scores indicating more positive perceptions of the workshop environment, a better outcome. Item scores were summed to produce a total score with a possible range of 4 to 40.

Time frame: Participants completed the workshop environment scale at posttest (time 3).

Population: Perinatal fathers who completed at least two weeks of the program and completed the posttest survey.

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
DadSpace InterventionWorkshop Environment Scale34.88 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 4.11

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026