Communication, Parent-Child Relations, Parenting
Conditions
Keywords
Preadolescent Health, Media Literacy, Parent-Child Communication, Gender Stereotypes, Body-Image, Puberty, Sexual Health, Relationship Health
Brief summary
The goal of this study is to learn if Media Aware Parent - Tween, an online program for parents of children ages 9-12, helps parents have effective conversations with their child about health and media.
Detailed description
Parent-child pairs (N=300 pairs) will be recruited to participate in a randomized controlled trial. Parent consent and parent permission and youth assent will be sought. Participant pairs will be randomized into one of two study arms: intervention and active control. All participants will complete a web-based pre-test questionnaire. Youth and parents will then receive access to their randomly assigned resource. Approximately four weeks after completing the pre-test questionnaire, all participants will complete a web-based post-test questionnaire.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMedia Aware Parent - Tween
Media Aware Parent - Tween, is an online program for parents of tweens ages 9-12 designed to help parents have effective conversations with their child about body image, sexual development, gender stereotypes, romantic relationships, and media.
BEHAVIORALActive Control Resource
Parents will have access to medically-accurate information about topics such as body image, sexual development, gender stereotypes, and romantic relationships.
Sponsors
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Innovation Research & Training
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
9 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* The adult must be the legal guardian of a child ages 9 to 12 years old. * The parent must be able and willing to receive email and text communication as part of the study. * The parent-child pair must have access to a smartphone with internet connection as the resource review will be completed online in a format that is best viewed on a smartphone. * The parent-child pair must be fluent in English as the study materials are written in English. * The parent must indicate that they will give the child participant privacy to complete the questionnaires. * Both the adult and child must agree to participate.
Exclusion criteria
* Only one parent-child pair per family may participate in the study. If the parent has more than one child aged 9 to 12 that is willing to participate, the parent will be prompted to select the child participant based on the following: if the parent's last name begins with a letter from A to M, select the youngest eligible child willing to participate or if the parent's last name begins with a letter from N to Z, select the oldest eligible child willing to participate. * In an effort to ensure diversity in parent gender and race/ethnicity, not all eligible pairs who are interested in participating will be enrolled in the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change From Pretest in Child Report of Frequency of Parent-child Communication | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Child will respond to questions about the frequency with which their parent has talked with them about 12 topics related to prepubescent health on a Likert-type scale \[1 = Never; 2 = A little; 3 = A lot\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Frequency of Parent-child Communication | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Parent will respond to questions about the frequency with which they have talked with their child about 12 topics related to prepubescent health on a Likert-type scale \[1 = Never; 2 = A little; 3 = A lot\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Child Report of General Parent-child Communication Quality | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Child will indicate the extent to which they agree with nine statements about communication with their parent on a Likert-type scale \[1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Agree, 4 = Strongly agree\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Parent Report of General Parent-child Communication Quality | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Parent will indicate the extent to which they agree with nine statements about communication with their child on a Likert-type scale \[1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Agree, 4 = Strongly agree\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Child Report of Active Parental Media Mediation | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Child's perception of parent's use of active media mediation will be assessed using two items (e.g., How often does your parent tell you what they see in media is different than real life?). Participants will rate items on a 5-point Likert scale \[1 = never; 2 = almost never; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often; 5 = very often\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Active Parental Media Mediation | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Parents' use of active media mediation will be assessed using two items (e.g., How often do you tell your child what they see in media is different than real life?). Participants will rate items on a 5-point Likert scale \[1 = never; 2 = almost never; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often; 5 = very often\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Child Report of Parental Restrictive Media Mediation | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Child's perception of parent's use of restrictive media mediation will be assessed using one item (e.g., How often does your parent limit the amount of your screen time (watching shows, going online, playing video games, or using social media)?). Participants will rate items on a 5-point Likert scale \[1 = never; 2 = almost never; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often; 5 = very often\]. Higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Parental Restrictive Media Mediation | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Parent's use of restrictive media mediation will be assessed using one item (e.g., How often do you limit the amount of your child's screen time (watching shows, going online, playing video games, or using social media)?). Participants will rate items on a 5-point Likert scale \[1 = never; 2 = almost never; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often; 5 = very often\]. Higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Child Report of Awareness of Family Media Rules | Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Child will indicate on one item whether their family has rules about media use. Response options are yes (1), no (0), and unsure (2). Yes (1) indicates a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Awareness of Family Media Rules | Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Parent will indicate on one item whether their family has rules about media use. Response options are yes (1), no (0), and unsure (2). Yes (1) indicates a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Child Report of Acceptance of Gender Stereotypical Roles | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Child will respond to the 7 items to indicate their agreement with statements about gender using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = disagree a lot to 5 = agree a lot). Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a less favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Child Report of Attitudes Toward Puberty | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Child will respond to one item (i.e., I like the fact that I am becoming a woman/man) on a 4-point scale from 1 = disagree a lot to 4 = Agree a lot to assess participants' attitudes towards puberty. Higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome. |
| Change From Pretest in Child Report of Body-esteem | Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion) | Child will respond to four statements about how they feel about their body (e.g., I'm proud of my body) on a 5-point scale \[1 = Never; 2 = Seldom; 3 = Sometimes; 4 = Often; 5 =Always\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween Participants will have access to an intervention between pre-test and post-test assessments. The intervention, Media Aware Parent -Tween, is an online program for parents of tweens ages 9-12 designed to help parents have effective conversations with their child about body image, sexual development, gender stereotypes, romantic relationships, and media.
Media Aware Parent - Tween: Media Aware Parent - Tween, is an online program for parents of tweens ages 9-12 designed to help parents have effective conversations with their child about body image, sexual development, gender stereotypes, romantic relationships, and media. | 196 |
| Active Control Resource Parents will have access to medically-accurate information about topics such as body image, sexual development, gender stereotypes, and romantic relationships.
Active Control Resource: Parents will have access to medically-accurate information about topics such as body image, sexual development, gender stereotypes, and romantic relationships. | 194 |
| Total | 390 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Active Control Resource | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous Children | 10.87 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.01 | 10.55 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.07 | 10.71 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.05 |
| Age, Continuous Parents | 40.79 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.89 | 40.98 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.72 | 40.89 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.79 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Child Hispanic or Latino | 21 Participants | 20 Participants | 41 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Child Not Hispanic or Latino | 77 Participants | 77 Participants | 154 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Child Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Parent Hispanic or Latino | 17 Participants | 16 Participants | 33 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Parent Not Hispanic or Latino | 81 Participants | 81 Participants | 162 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Parent Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Children American Indian or Alaska Native | 2 Participants | 1 Participants | 3 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Children Asian | 3 Participants | 7 Participants | 10 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Children Black or African American | 18 Participants | 20 Participants | 38 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Children More than one race | 11 Participants | 12 Participants | 23 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Children Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Children Unknown or Not Reported | 9 Participants | 6 Participants | 15 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Children White | 55 Participants | 51 Participants | 106 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Parents American Indian or Alaska Native | 3 Participants | 1 Participants | 4 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Parents Asian | 5 Participants | 10 Participants | 15 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Parents Black or African American | 16 Participants | 22 Participants | 38 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Parents More than one race | 3 Participants | 1 Participants | 4 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Parents Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Parents Unknown or Not Reported | 10 Participants | 6 Participants | 16 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Parents White | 61 Participants | 57 Participants | 118 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 196 participants | 194 participants | 390 participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Child Female | 54 participants | 53 participants | 107 participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Child Male | 43 participants | 40 participants | 83 participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Child Non-binary | 0 participants | 4 participants | 4 participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Parent Female | 80 participants | 74 participants | 154 participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Parent Male | 18 participants | 23 participants | 41 participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Parent Non-binary | 0 participants | 0 participants | 0 participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 196 | 0 / 194 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 196 | 0 / 194 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 196 | 0 / 194 |
Outcome results
Primary
Change From Pretest in Child Report of Acceptance of Gender Stereotypical Roles
Child will respond to the 7 items to indicate their agreement with statements about gender using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = disagree a lot to 5 = agree a lot). Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a less favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Acceptance of Gender Stereotypical Roles | 1.86 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.07 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Acceptance of Gender Stereotypical Roles | 1.77 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.07 |
p-value: 0.42Regression, Linear
Primary
Change From Pretest in Child Report of Active Parental Media Mediation
Child's perception of parent's use of active media mediation will be assessed using two items (e.g., How often does your parent tell you what they see in media is different than real life?). Participants will rate items on a 5-point Likert scale \[1 = never; 2 = almost never; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often; 5 = very often\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Active Parental Media Mediation | 3.46 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.12 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Active Parental Media Mediation | 3.69 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.12 |
p-value: 0.2Regression, Linear
Primary
Change From Pretest in Child Report of Attitudes Toward Puberty
Child will respond to one item (i.e., I like the fact that I am becoming a woman/man) on a 4-point scale from 1 = disagree a lot to 4 = Agree a lot to assess participants' attitudes towards puberty. Higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Attitudes Toward Puberty | 2.97 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.09 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Attitudes Toward Puberty | 3.07 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.09 |
p-value: 0.45Regression, Linear
Primary
Change From Pretest in Child Report of Awareness of Family Media Rules
Child will indicate on one item whether their family has rules about media use. Response options are yes (1), no (0), and unsure (2). Yes (1) indicates a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
Population: This analysis was conducted using multiple imputed data. Therefore, the percentage values will not yield a whole participant because results are pooled between 50 imputations.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Awareness of Family Media Rules | 81.96 percentage of participants with 1 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Awareness of Family Media Rules | 90.72 percentage of participants with 1 |
p-value: 0.22Regression, Logistic
Primary
Change From Pretest in Child Report of Body-esteem
Child will respond to four statements about how they feel about their body (e.g., I'm proud of my body) on a 5-point scale \[1 = Never; 2 = Seldom; 3 = Sometimes; 4 = Often; 5 =Always\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Body-esteem | 3.32 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.09 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Body-esteem | 3.42 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.08 |
p-value: 0.39Regression, Linear
Primary
Change From Pretest in Child Report of Frequency of Parent-child Communication
Child will respond to questions about the frequency with which their parent has talked with them about 12 topics related to prepubescent health on a Likert-type scale \[1 = Never; 2 = A little; 3 = A lot\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Frequency of Parent-child Communication | 2.18 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.05 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Frequency of Parent-child Communication | 2.20 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.04 |
p-value: 0.69Regression, Linear
Primary
Change From Pretest in Child Report of General Parent-child Communication Quality
Child will indicate the extent to which they agree with nine statements about communication with their parent on a Likert-type scale \[1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Agree, 4 = Strongly agree\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Child Report of General Parent-child Communication Quality | 2.97 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.05 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Child Report of General Parent-child Communication Quality | 3.02 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.05 |
p-value: 0.46Regression, Linear
Primary
Change From Pretest in Child Report of Parental Restrictive Media Mediation
Child's perception of parent's use of restrictive media mediation will be assessed using one item (e.g., How often does your parent limit the amount of your screen time (watching shows, going online, playing video games, or using social media)?). Participants will rate items on a 5-point Likert scale \[1 = never; 2 = almost never; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often; 5 = very often\]. Higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Parental Restrictive Media Mediation | 3.70 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.13 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Child Report of Parental Restrictive Media Mediation | 3.57 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.13 |
p-value: 0.48Regression, Linear
Primary
Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Active Parental Media Mediation
Parents' use of active media mediation will be assessed using two items (e.g., How often do you tell your child what they see in media is different than real life?). Participants will rate items on a 5-point Likert scale \[1 = never; 2 = almost never; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often; 5 = very often\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Active Parental Media Mediation | 4.17 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.07 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Active Parental Media Mediation | 4.04 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.08 |
p-value: 0.22Regression, Linear
Primary
Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Awareness of Family Media Rules
Parent will indicate on one item whether their family has rules about media use. Response options are yes (1), no (0), and unsure (2). Yes (1) indicates a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
Population: This analysis was conducted using multiple imputed data. Therefore, the percentage values will not yield a whole participant because results are pooled between 50 imputations.
| Arm | Measure | Value (NUMBER) |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Awareness of Family Media Rules | 89.88 percentage of participants w/ 1 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Awareness of Family Media Rules | 92.89 percentage of participants w/ 1 |
p-value: 0.57Regression, Logistic
Primary
Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Frequency of Parent-child Communication
Parent will respond to questions about the frequency with which they have talked with their child about 12 topics related to prepubescent health on a Likert-type scale \[1 = Never; 2 = A little; 3 = A lot\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Frequency of Parent-child Communication | 2.42 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.03 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Frequency of Parent-child Communication | 2.37 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.04 |
p-value: 0.33Regression, Linear
Primary
Change From Pretest in Parent Report of General Parent-child Communication Quality
Parent will indicate the extent to which they agree with nine statements about communication with their child on a Likert-type scale \[1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Agree, 4 = Strongly agree\]. Reponses on items are averaged, and higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Parent Report of General Parent-child Communication Quality | 3.08 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.04 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Parent Report of General Parent-child Communication Quality | 3.12 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.04 |
p-value: 0.46Regression, Linear
Primary
Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Parental Restrictive Media Mediation
Parent's use of restrictive media mediation will be assessed using one item (e.g., How often do you limit the amount of your child's screen time (watching shows, going online, playing video games, or using social media)?). Participants will rate items on a 5-point Likert scale \[1 = never; 2 = almost never; 3 = sometimes; 4 = often; 5 = very often\]. Higher scores indicate a more favorable outcome.
Time frame: Pretest (at baseline) and Posttest (about four weeks after pretest questionnaire completion)
| Arm | Measure | Value (LEAST_SQUARES_MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention Program: Media Aware Parent -Tween | Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Parental Restrictive Media Mediation | 3.88 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.11 |
| Active Control Resource | Change From Pretest in Parent Report of Parental Restrictive Media Mediation | 3.81 score on a scale | Standard Error 0.11 |
p-value: 0.69Regression, Linear