Emotion Regulation Abilities, Mental Health
Conditions
Keywords
mental health, emotion regulation, emotion socialization, parenting, intervention-program, child, parent
Brief summary
This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the eParenting CARE Program, an asynchronous, self-guided emotion-focused parenting intervention for parents of school-aged children (8-13 years). The eParenting CARE Program focuses on strengthening parent emotion regulation (ER) and supportive emotion socialization (ES) practices to promote children's ER and emotional well-being. Parent ER and ES are well-established predictors of children's emotional development, and difficulties in these domains are associated with increased risk for child emotional and behavioural problems. The long-term goal of this work is to improve family well-being and children's emotional functioning by developing an accessible and scalable online parenting intervention that can be delivered flexibly and with minimal barriers to participation. This pilot study will inform the refinement and future evaluation of the eParenting CARE Program through a feasibility-focused design. We will achieve this through the following key objectives: 1. Assess the feasibility and acceptability of the eParenting CARE Program for parents of school-aged children using indicators of recruitment, retention, program completion, and participant satisfaction. 2. Examine exploratory pre- to post-intervention changes in parent ER, parent ES behaviours, and parent-reported child ER to inform outcome selection and effect size estimation for future randomized controlled trials. 3. Identify implementation facilitators and barriers to participation in an asynchronous parenting program through qualitative feedback, including recommendations for improving engagement, accessibility, and program delivery. Findings from this pilot study will inform the development of future controlled trials and support the broader dissemination of accessible, emotion-focused parenting interventions aimed at promoting emotional well-being in parents and children.
Detailed description
Detailed Description Early difficulties with emotion regulation (ER) in parents, including challenges managing stress, frustration, and negative affect, are well-established risk factors for the development of children's own ER difficulties and broader emotional and behavioural problems. Parent ER and ES practices play a central role in children's emotional development through modeling, coaching, and responses to children's emotional experiences, consistent with intergenerational and family-based models of emotional development (Morris et al., 2007). When parents experience difficulties regulating their own emotions, they may be more likely to respond to children's emotions in dismissive, punitive, or inconsistent ways, which can interfere with the development of adaptive ER skills in children. The eParenting CARE Program was designed to strengthen parent ER and promote supportive ES practices in order to improve children's ER abilities and overall emotional well-being. The program integrates evidence-based strategies drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and emotion coaching frameworks. The intervention focuses on building parents' internal ER capacities alongside practical parenting strategies, recognizing that parents' ability to regulate their own emotions is foundational to implementing supportive responses to children's emotional needs. The eParenting CARE Program is delivered in an asynchronous, self-guided online format to reduce common barriers to participation such as scheduling constraints, childcare demands, and geographic access limitations. This project addresses a gap in the existing literature by evaluating a parent-focused, asynchronous emotion-focused parenting intervention for families of school-aged children. While synchronous and in-person emotion-focused parenting programs have demonstrated effectiveness, fewer studies have examined the feasibility and acceptability of fully self-guided formats that may offer greater scalability and accessibility. By focusing on parent ER and ES as primary intervention targets, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of how family-focused, digitally delivered supports can promote positive emotional development in children while supporting parental well-being. The current study will conduct a single-group, mixed-methods feasibility pilot trial to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the eParenting CARE Program when delivered in an asynchronous online format. Parents or legal guardians of children aged 8 to 13 years will be recruited to participate. Participants will complete baseline assessments prior to beginning the intervention and post-intervention assessments following completion of the five-module program. A subset of participants will also complete semi-structured qualitative interviews to provide detailed feedback on program usability, engagement, barriers to participation, and recommendations for future implementation. The primary aim of the study is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of the eParenting CARE Program, as indexed by recruitment, retention, program completion, and participant satisfaction. The secondary, exploratory aims are to examine pre- to post-intervention changes in parent ER, parent ES behaviours, and parent-reported child ER. Additional exploratory outcomes include identifying implementation challenges and facilitators that may inform future refinements to the program and guide the design of subsequent randomized controlled trials. Findings from this study are expected to inform the development and optimization of accessible, emotion-focused parenting interventions and provide preliminary data to support future large-scale evaluations. Results will be disseminated through academic publication and shared with clinical, community, and educational stakeholders to support the broader application of family-focused approaches to promoting emotional well-being in children and parents.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALeParenting CARE Program
The eParenting CARE Program is a five-module, asynchronous, self-guided online parenting intervention designed to improve parent emotion regulation and supportive emotion socialization practices. The intervention is delivered via a secure web-based platform requiring participant login and is intended to be completed over approximately five weeks. Program content integrates evidence-based strategies drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and emotion coaching frameworks. Each module includes brief instructional videos, written psychoeducational materials, guided self-reflection exercises, and take-home activities to support skill practice. Core topics include parent self-care and emotion regulation, identifying and labeling emotions, cognitive and behavioral regulation strategies, supportive parenting responses to children's emotions, and maintenance of skills.
Sponsors
McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Parent or legal guardian (e.g., custodial guardian) of a child aged 8 to 13 years at the time of enrollment 2. Parent or guardian resides in Canada 3. Ability to read, write, and understand English sufficiently to complete study materials and questionnaires 4. Access to a reliable internet connection and a compatible digital device (e.g., computer, tablet, or smartphone)
Exclusion criteria
1. Parent or guardian of a child outside the target age range (younger than 8 years or older than 13 years) 2. Residence outside of Canada 3. Insufficient proficiency in written or spoken English to complete intervention content or study assessments
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Program Feasibility (Recruitment, Retention, and Completion) | From enrollment through completion of the intervention (5 weeks) | Feasibility will be assessed using descriptive indicators of recruitment, enrollment, retention, and intervention completion. Retention is defined as the proportion of participants who complete at least 60% of the program modules. Completion rates across modules will be used to evaluate participant engagement and practicality of delivering the intervention in an asynchronous online format. A higher score indicates a greater program feasibility and acceptability. |
| Program Acceptability (Participant Satisfaction) | Post-Intervention (T2) - 5 weeks after program onset implementation | Acceptability will be assessed using selected items from the Rockwood Group Satisfaction Scale (Marshall \& Serran, 2010), a self-report measure of participant satisfaction with intervention content and delivery. Parents will rate their satisfaction with the program's clarity, usefulness, structure, and overall experience at post-intervention. Higher scores indicate greater acceptability of the intervention and delivery format. |
| Participant Engagement with the Intervention | Throughout the intervention period (5 weeks) | Participant engagement will be assessed using platform-generated usage data, including module access and progression through program content. Engagement metrics will be summarized descriptively to evaluate adherence to the intended intervention dose and identify patterns of participation across modules. A higher score indicates a greater program engagement. |
| Implementation Barriers and Facilitators (Qualitative Interviews) | Post-Intervention (within 2-4 weeks following program completion) | Implementation-related barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for improvement will be assessed using semi-structured qualitative interviews with a subset of participants following program completion. Interviews explore participant experiences with program usability, engagement, and perceived value. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Parent Emotion Regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale; DERS) | Pre-Intervention (T1) - prior to the program implementation and Post-Intervention (T2) - 5 weeks after program onset implementation | Parent emotion regulation will be assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz \& Roemer, 2004), a self-report questionnaire measuring difficulties across multiple domains of emotion regulation, including emotional awareness, acceptance, impulse control, and access to regulation strategies. Higher total scores indicate greater emotion regulation difficulties. |
| Parent Emotion Socialization (Emotions as a Child Scale; EAC) | Pre-Intervention (T1) - prior to the program implementation and Post-Intervention (T2) - 5 weeks after program onset implementation | Parent emotion socialization practices will be assessed using the Emotions as a Child Scale (EAC; Magai \& O'Neal, 1997), which measures parental responses to children's emotions (e.g., anger, sadness, fear). Subscales assess supportive and unsupportive responses, including rewarding, overriding, punitive, neglectful, and magnifying reactions. The Emotions as a Child Scale (EAC; Magai \& O'Neal, 1997) typically uses a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Never/Not at all, 5 = Very Often/Very Much) to assess parental socialization of emotions, with scores averaged across items. Higher average scores indicate a higher frequency of a specific, or combined, parental response strategy. It assesses five dimensions: Reward, Punish, Override, Neglect, and Magnify. |
| Child Emotion Regulation (Parent-Report; DERS-Parent Report) | Pre-Intervention (T1) - prior to the program implementation and Post-Intervention (T2) - 5 weeks after program onset implementation | Child emotion regulation will be assessed using the parent-report version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-P; Gratz \& Roemer, 2004; Weinberg \& Klonsky, 2009). This measure assesses parents' perceptions of their child's difficulties regulating emotions across domains such as impulse control, emotional clarity, and access to regulation strategies. Higher scores indicate greater difficulties. The DERS (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale) parent report, used to assess a child's emotion regulation, typically yields a total raw score ranging from 36 to 180. Higher scores indicate greater difficulties in emotion regulation. The scale uses a 5-point Likert scale (1=Almost Never to 5=Almost Always). The Total Score Ranges between 36-180. Subscale range from: Non-acceptance: 6-30; Goals: 5-25; Impulse: 6-30; Awareness: 6-30; and Strategies: 8-40. |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed