Fathers
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of this descriptive study is to explore whether there is an association between participation in the Gentle Warriors Academy and improvements in outcomes related to parenting, co-parenting, and parental well-being. Participants are surveyed at program entry, program exit, and 12 months following program enrollment, and changes in participant attitudes and behaviors are assessed over time.
Detailed description
This study is a descriptive evaluation of the Gentle Warriors Academy program offered to fathers in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Program participants are informed about the study and asked to provide consent to participate in the evaluation of the program. Consenting participants complete surveys at program enrollment, program exit, and 12 months after program enrollment, and survey data is used to determine if the program is associated with short-term and long-term changes in attitudes and behaviors among participants. Changes in parenting attitudes and parental well-being are assessed by comparing survey answers before and after participating in 26 hours of the Next Level Fatherhood primary curriculum. Changes in behaviors related to parenting and co-parenting are assessed from program entry to 12 months post-enrollment.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPrimary Services
Participants receive 26 hours of Next Level Fatherhood curriculum, 2 hours of child maltreatment workshops, 2 hours of anger management workshops, and 2 hours of optional legitimation workshops. Participants also receive ongoing case management and support services.
Sponsors
Fathers Incorporated
Midwest Evaluation & Research
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adult (age 18 and older) * Father/father figure * With children under age 16 * Reside in Metro Atlanta area
Exclusion criteria
* Minor (under the age of 18) * Not a father/father figure * Children older than 16 years old * Reside outside of Metro Atlanta area
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Healthy Parenting Attitudes Measurement #1 | baseline and program exit at 10 weeks post-enrollment | Will participants report significantly healthier parenting attitudes after completing primary workshops, as compared to responses at program enrollment? Items measured include: Parenting attitudes measured with: 7 items - frequency of feelings about participant's youngest child (categorical, 5-point scale) Measured on the parenting attitudes scale #1 as: 1 = always, 2 = often, 3 = sometimes, 4 = rarely, 5 = never The construct is created by adding all 7 scores together and dividing by 7. The higher the score on a scale of 1-5, the better the outcome. The lower the score, the worse the outcome. Maximum score: 5.0, minimum score: 1.0 |
| 2) Healthy Parenting Behaviors Measurement #1 | Time frame: change from baseline in parenting behaviors (interactions with child) from enrollment to 1 year post-enrollment. | Will participants report significantly healthier parenting behavior one year after enrolling in the program, as compared to responses at baseline? Items measured include: Parenting behavior measured with: 11 items - frequency of key behaviors with participant's youngest child (categorical, 5-point scale) Measured on the parenting behavior scale #1 as: 1 = never, 2 = 1 to 2 days per month, 3 = 3 or 4 days per month, 4 = 2 or 3 days per week, 5 = every day or almost every day The higher the rating, the better the score. The construct is created by adding all 11 scores together and dividing by 11. The higher the score on a scale of 1-5, the better the outcome. The lower the score, the worse the outcome. maximum score: 5.0, minimum score: 1.0 |
| 3) Healthy Co-parenting Behaviors Measurement #1 | change from baseline in co-parenting behaviors (interactions with co-parent) from enrollment to 1 year post-enrollment. | Will participants report significantly healthier co-parenting behavior one year after enrolling in the program, as compared to responses at baseline? Items measured include: 11 items: frequency of agreement with key co-parenting behaviors (categorical, 5-point scale) Measured on the co-parenting behavior scale #1 as: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree The construct is created by adding all scores together and dividing by 11. The higher the score on a scale of 1-5, the better the outcome. The lower the score, the worse the outcome. |
| 4) Parent Wellbeing Measurement #1 | change from baseline in parental wellbeing (feelings about parenting) from enrollment to program exit (10 weeks). | Will participants report significantly higher parental wellbeing after completing primary workshops, as compared to responses at program enrollment? 1 item: frequency of feeling overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities (categorical, 4-point scale) 1 = never, 2 = hardly ever, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often The lower the number, the better the score. Maximum score=4.0, minimum score=1 |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Primary Services Participants receive 26 hours of Next Level Fatherhood curriculum, 2 hours of child maltreatment workshops, 2 hours of anger management workshops, and 2 hours of optional legitimation workshops. Participants also receive ongoing case management and support services.
Primary Services: Participants receive 26 hours of Next Level Fatherhood curriculum, 2 hours of child maltreatment workshops, 2 hours of anger management workshops, and 2 hours of optional legitimation workshops. Participants also receive ongoing case management and support services. | 731 |
| Total | 731 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Primary Services |
|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 1 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 730 Participants |
| Age, Continuous | 33.87 years |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 29 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 666 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 7 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 29 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 0 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 731 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 731 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 731 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 731 |
Outcome results
Primary
1) Healthy Parenting Attitudes Measurement #1
Will participants report significantly healthier parenting attitudes after completing primary workshops, as compared to responses at program enrollment? Items measured include: Parenting attitudes measured with: 7 items - frequency of feelings about participant's youngest child (categorical, 5-point scale) Measured on the parenting attitudes scale #1 as: 1 = always, 2 = often, 3 = sometimes, 4 = rarely, 5 = never The construct is created by adding all 7 scores together and dividing by 7. The higher the score on a scale of 1-5, the better the outcome. The lower the score, the worse the outcome. Maximum score: 5.0, minimum score: 1.0
Time frame: baseline and program exit at 10 weeks post-enrollment
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Services | 1) Healthy Parenting Attitudes Measurement #1 | mean at baseline | 4.66 score on scale | Standard Deviation 0.351 |
| Primary Services | 1) Healthy Parenting Attitudes Measurement #1 | mean at program exit at 10 weeks post-enrollment | 4.656 score on scale | Standard Deviation 0.346 |
Primary
2) Healthy Parenting Behaviors Measurement #1
Will participants report significantly healthier parenting behavior one year after enrolling in the program, as compared to responses at baseline? Items measured include: Parenting behavior measured with: 11 items - frequency of key behaviors with participant's youngest child (categorical, 5-point scale) Measured on the parenting behavior scale #1 as: 1 = never, 2 = 1 to 2 days per month, 3 = 3 or 4 days per month, 4 = 2 or 3 days per week, 5 = every day or almost every day The higher the rating, the better the score. The construct is created by adding all 11 scores together and dividing by 11. The higher the score on a scale of 1-5, the better the outcome. The lower the score, the worse the outcome. maximum score: 5.0, minimum score: 1.0
Time frame: Time frame: change from baseline in parenting behaviors (interactions with child) from enrollment to 1 year post-enrollment.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Services | 2) Healthy Parenting Behaviors Measurement #1 | mean at baseline | 3.85 score on scale | Standard Deviation 1.03 |
| Primary Services | 2) Healthy Parenting Behaviors Measurement #1 | mean at follow-up | 3.94 score on scale | Standard Deviation 0.93 |
Primary
3) Healthy Co-parenting Behaviors Measurement #1
Will participants report significantly healthier co-parenting behavior one year after enrolling in the program, as compared to responses at baseline? Items measured include: 11 items: frequency of agreement with key co-parenting behaviors (categorical, 5-point scale) Measured on the co-parenting behavior scale #1 as: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree The construct is created by adding all scores together and dividing by 11. The higher the score on a scale of 1-5, the better the outcome. The lower the score, the worse the outcome.
Time frame: change from baseline in co-parenting behaviors (interactions with co-parent) from enrollment to 1 year post-enrollment.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Services | 3) Healthy Co-parenting Behaviors Measurement #1 | mean at baseline | 2.90 score on scale | Standard Deviation 1.1 |
| Primary Services | 3) Healthy Co-parenting Behaviors Measurement #1 | mean at follow-up | 2.94 score on scale | Standard Deviation 1 |
Primary
4) Parent Wellbeing Measurement #1
Will participants report significantly higher parental wellbeing after completing primary workshops, as compared to responses at program enrollment? 1 item: frequency of feeling overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities (categorical, 4-point scale) 1 = never, 2 = hardly ever, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often The lower the number, the better the score. Maximum score=4.0, minimum score=1
Time frame: change from baseline in parental wellbeing (feelings about parenting) from enrollment to program exit (10 weeks).
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Services | 4) Parent Wellbeing Measurement #1 | mean at baseline | 2.74 score on scale | Standard Deviation 1.06 |
| Primary Services | 4) Parent Wellbeing Measurement #1 | mean at follow-up | 3.02 score on scale | Standard Deviation 0.97 |