Optimizing an Evidence-Based, Disseminable, Free Internet-Based Parenting Program

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

• Ages 18 to 99 years
• All sexes
• Healthy volunteers accepted
• Adult, Older adult

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

About this study

Conditions

Parenting Practices

Being tested

Motivational Enhancement, Simplification, Gamification, Low Engagement Nudges, Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Pre-schoolers (EFP)

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

• Motivational EnhancementBehavioural

  Motivational Enhancements (ME) will include three features:

  1. Personalized change plan. Parents will describe their intervention goals, motivation for participation, steps they are willing to take to meet those goals, as well as potential barriers to engagement and strategies to try to overcome such barriers. We will display the change plan to remind parents of their personalized responses. ME will also integrate participants' change plan responses into intervention content.
  2. Assessment feedback. We will provide norm-referenced feedback for each selected parenting measure after the week 1 assessment. For simplicity, feedback will graphically categorize the parent or child in 3 categories per outcome: red (≥90th %ile), yellow (70-89th %ile), and green (<70th %ile).
  3. Modified, personalized SMS text nudges. Parents will receive 2 weekly personalized SMS messages based on their change plan responses.

• SimplificationBehavioural

  We will follow recommendations of research on improving the readability of patient-directed text (e.g., fewer, shorter, less complex words, minimizing colons, semicolons, and decimal points). We will employ the Dale-Chall Readability (DCRI) score, which was developed for health education materials and, compared to other readability metrics, has higher correlations with comprehension. The target DCR score is 7 (8th grade reading level). We will avoid lower DCR scores because moderate levels of complexity enhance, attention, absorption, satisfaction, and ultimately engagement.

• GamificationBehavioural

  Gamification will include four features:

  1. Game-like graphical environment (e.g., avatars to represent the participant).
  2. Digital rewards. Parents will receive points and badges for completing intervention activities.
  3. Leaderboard. A leaderboard will be used to activate competitive motives and social referencing. The leaderboard will display the points/badges of the participant relative to 4 other actual or simulated anonymized parents who are at a similar point in the intervention; their number of points and badges will be determined by those of the participant.
  4. Modified, personalized SMS text nudges. SMS text nudges will alternate between Core content (e.g., reminder to complete a module) and reminders about game features such as badges and standings.

• Low Engagement NudgesBehavioural

  SMS text nudges will be sent to participants who have fallen behind in completing specific intervention tasks within a given time window; e.g., failing to log-in to the next module by a predetermined date, timed to program enrollment or in a prespecified number of days since completing the previous module.

• Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Pre-schoolers (EFP)Behavioural

  All parents will receive the Core intervention content, including text, demonstrations (videos and vignettes), and interactive activities (e.g., skill-building), and comprising five modules: Communicating with Your Child; (2) Giving Directions; (3) Creating Structure; (4) Using Discipline and Consequences; and (5) Using Time-out. The Core intervention will be augmented with more prescriptive behavioral skills practice exercises and SMS text nudges to remind participants to complete intervention modules.

  All conditions will be housed on Westat servers accessible through any device that can use the Internet, including computers, tablets, and smartphones. Westat has extensive technical capacities for web programming/hosting.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

1. Parent Behavior Inventory, item average of Supportive/Engaged subscale

   Parental warmth (e.g., physical affection) will be measured by parent completing the 10-item self-report Supportive Engaged subscale of the Parent Behavior Inventory.

   Measured: 6 months

2. Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale, item average of Corporal Punishment subscale

   Corporal punishment (noninjurious physical discipline, e.g., spanking) will be measured by parent completing the 6-item self-report corporal punishment subscale of the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale

   Measured: 6 months

3. Parenting Scale, item average of Overreactivity subscale

   Parents' use of harsh or otherwise overreactive discipline (i.e., angry discipline) will be measured by parent completing the 10-item self-report Overreactivity subscale of the Parenting Scale.

   Measured: 6 months

4. Parenting Scale, item average of Laxness subscale

   Use of permissive or lax discipline (e.g., failure to enforce rules) will be measured by parent completing the 11-item self-report Laxness subscale of the Parenting Scale

   Measured: 6 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

1. First posted19 Jan 2023
2. Study start16 Sep 2023
3. Primary completion31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
4. Study completion31 Jul 2026 (estimated)

Resources

• Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
• Other trials for Parenting PracticesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
• What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.