Conducting and Evaluating the Impact of a Positive Parenting Program Group Discussion on “Coping with Teenagers' Emotions”: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Last registered on May 09, 2018
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Conducting and Evaluating the Impact of a Positive Parenting Program Group Discussion on “Coping with Teenagers' Emotions”: A Randomised Controlled Trial
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0002961
Initial registration date
May 05, 2018

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
May 09, 2018, 9:42 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Ireland
Region
Dublin

Primary Investigator

Name
Lucie Martin
Affiliation
University College Dublin
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Orla Doyle
PI Affiliation
University College Dublin
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2018-05-28
End date
2018-07-05
Keywords
Education, Welfare
Additional Keywords
Parenting Skills, Positive Parenting, Teenagers, Randomised Controlled Trial, Group Discussion, Triple P, Education, Mental Health, Parenting Workshop
JEL code(s)
C93; I26; J13
Secondary IDs
Abstract
The aim of this project is to conduct and evaluate the effectiveness of a specific type of parenting intervention in an Irish context. We will run a phased-in randomised control trial on an established positive parenting programme to be delivered by our implementation partner the Midlands Area Parenting Partnership (MAPP) called “Coping with Teenagers Emotions”.

The Teen Positive Parenting Programme (Triple P) Discussion Group Workshop on ‘Coping with Teenagers’ Emotions’ is a two hour group discussion session and a single follow-up phone call which is led by trained Triple P facilitators in a small group setting of ~15 parents of 11-15 year olds. The research team will not be involved in either the 2-hour intervention or the follow-up phone call. Only the MAPP practitioners will be involved in delivering the intervention and phone call. This discussion group is a preventative intervention which targets parents of teenagers who require support in helping manage the emotional behaviour of their teenagers. The parents will receive a workbook at the start of the discussion group which includes the content to be covered in the session, as well as the practical exercises which will be conducted during the session.

The motivations for this trial are two-fold. First, the workshops have not been previously rigorously evaluated in an Irish context. Second, the PI Dr. Doyle is currently running a module called Experiments in Economics as part of the MSc in Behavioural Economics in University College Dublin - this evaluation is being undertaken as a student-led project as part of this module.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Doyle, Orla and Lucie Martin. 2018. "Conducting and Evaluating the Impact of a Positive Parenting Program Group Discussion on “Coping with Teenagers' Emotions”: A Randomised Controlled Trial." AEA RCT Registry. May 09. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.2961-1.0
Former Citation
Doyle, Orla and Lucie Martin. 2018. "Conducting and Evaluating the Impact of a Positive Parenting Program Group Discussion on “Coping with Teenagers' Emotions”: A Randomised Controlled Trial." AEA RCT Registry. May 09. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/2961/history/29282
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2018-06-05
Intervention End Date
2018-06-06

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We are interested in whether and how the parenting group discussion affects teens' behavioural problems and parents' stress. The key outcome variables will be the outputs from the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales.


Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
PS (Parenting Scale) and PPC (Parent Problem Checklist) will also be collected.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The intervention will be delivered by the Midlands Area Parenting Partnership and evaluated using a randomised controlled trial with a waitlist condition. Treated participants will receive the intervention while the control group will be assigned to a later session (taking place after the study).

Recruitment will take place through email. Participants will be screened online for eligibility (LimeSurvey) and given information about the study. Baseline data will be collected including the FBQ (Family Background Questionnaire); SDQ (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire); PS (Parenting Scale); DASS (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales); and PPC (Parent Problem Checklist). Participants will then be randomised through simple individual randomisation and assigned to the treatment or waitisted date. The treatment will be delivered by the implementation partner, MAPP, and includes a 2-hour group discussion and a follow-up phone call a week later. After this, endline data will be collected (same as above minus eligibility and FBQ, with a satisfaction survey for treated participants). The control group will receive the intervention in May, after the study ends.

Data analysis will include significance testing on differences between key outcome measures in both groups. The key outcome variables will be the outputs from the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Special attention will be paid to possible imbalances between the groups, and controlling for mitigating variables such as family background.

The SDQ was chosen based on the advice of the implementation partner and on observation of its use in previous evaluations in Ireland, which will help compare outcomes across studies.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Computer-generated simple randomisation.
Randomization Unit
Individual randomisation.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
The treatment can be delivered to up to 36 parents by the implementation partner (a further 36 will be treated i.e. the control/ waitlisted group). Due to high attrition rates in parenting interventions for parents of teenagers we will seek to recruit around 100 parents overall.
Sample size: planned number of observations
36 in treatment group and 36 in control (waitlisted) group.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
36 in treatment group and 36 in control (waitlisted) group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University College Dublin Research Ethics Committee (Humanities)
IRB Approval Date
2018-04-18
IRB Approval Number
HS-18-21-Martin-Doyle
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials