DadSpace: Increasing Community Support Resources for Perinatal Fathers

November 14, 2025 updated by: Julie Rieker, Colorado State University
The project is aimed at meeting the support needs of community fathers who are expecting a baby or who have recently had a baby. This work is being conducted in conjunction with community partners through The Women's Clinic of Northern Colorado (WCNC). Researchers and WCNC staff will work together to develop and implement programs for prenatal and postpartum fathers. Participants will be invited to a group mentoring program and also will be provided access to supplementary educational podcasts focused on topics relevant to prenatal and postpartum fathers. The investigators are seeking to understand what participants like and don't like about the program and how participation in the program affects participants' stress, well-being, and parenting.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The investigators are building on previous work to identify opportunities to meet the needs of perinatal fathers. The term perinatal encompasses the time leading up to and immediately following the birth of a child. Father involvement in child rearing is beneficial to mothers and children, but fathers are routinely overlooked by available support opportunities at the transition to parenthood. This pilot project seeks to apply research evidence and best practices to address the disparity in socioemotional community support and education programs serving perinatal fathers. In a previous pilot study, the investigators learned from fathers participating in focus groups that participants were interested in opportunities to connect with other fathers in the same life stage to talk about personal experiences and learn from each other. The investigators also learned that fathers worry about meeting varied role expectations, that available resources tend to overlook the unique experiences of fathers, and that it can be challenging to find quality information in a digital world saturated with conflicting information about parenting. This project seeks to address these primary issues through community-based, father-centric support and educational programs. WCNC education staff will facilitate a discussion-based group mentoring program for fathers who are expecting or recently had a baby. This program seeks to increase connection with other fathers, reduce stress related to parenting a baby, and increase parenting confidence. The investigators plan to evaluate the feasibility of the program through satisfaction surveys and other measures of the program's implementation. The investigators also plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the program by providing participants with surveys asking about their well-being, knowledge, confidence in parenting, and their satisfaction with their social networks. The investigators are additionally developing educational podcasts focused on topics relevant to prenatal and postpartum fathers, which will be evaluated as a supplementary component to the mentoring program. Research objectives are the following: Study 1, Objective 1 (Primary): The investigators seek to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a program targeting perinatal fathers offered in a community clinic setting. Study 1, Objective 2 (Primary): Examine whether participating in a discussion-based group mentoring program increases the likelihood of positive short-term outcomes for fathers. Study 1 Objective 3 (Secondary): Identify whether listening to brief, targeted educational podcasts predicts increased positive outcomes for fathers over and above the mentoring group alone. Study 2 Objective 1 (Primary): Identify whether participants who listen to brief, targeted educational podcasts find the podcasts satisfactory and acceptable as a method of gaining information about perinatal fatherhood.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
20

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Colorado
      • Fort Collins, Colorado, United States, 80523-1570
        • Colorado State University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants must be expecting a baby or have a baby less than one year of age and planning to take the DadSpace mentoring program.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Non-English speaking

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: DadSpace Intervention
Participants will take part in a 12-hour educational discussion-based mentoring program intervention over 8 weeks. The intervention will be facilitated by a trained father facilitator and will include education and support on topics relevant to perinatal fathers. Topics include father identity, stress management, infant development, co-parenting, masculinity and caregiving, healthy communication, and work-life balance. Participants will additionally have access to a brief educational podcast series on related topics. Participants will also be invited to monthly follow-up daddy/baby drop-in groups.
Behavioral: DadSpace
A group educational support and mentoring program for perinatal fathers.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory
Time Frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
This 19-item abbreviated version of the inventory assesses accurate knowledge of infant development. The first 11 items are rated as true or false and include questions such as "Babies may cry for 20-30 minutes at a time, no matter how much you try to comfort them" and "Some parents do not bond until their baby starts to smile and look at them." An additional 6 items ask parents to rate whether they think babies can do something at the age listed in the item or whether the developmental task (e.g., "Six-month-olds know what 'no' means.") occurs in younger or older children. Two additional items ask respondents to choose the best way to respond to potentially stressful infant behaviors (breaking things and fussing at night). Item responses are scored as correct or incorrect with percent correct as the final measure.
Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
Change in Self-Perceptions of the Parental Role-Competence Scale
Time Frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
A 6-item measure of feelings of efficacy/competence in the parental role. Items are weighted on a range from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher confidence in the parental role, a better outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 4 to 24.
Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
Change in Social Network Questionnaire-Satisfaction Scale
Time Frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
7 yes/no items on satisfaction with the support received from one's social network. More "yes" answers indicates lower satisfaction with the social network, a worse outcome. Scores are reverse-scored and totaled with a possible range from 0 to 7 so that higher scores indicate more satisfaction.
Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
Change in Role Conflict Scale
Time Frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
2 subscales that assess work conflict with family life, family life conflict with work, and work-family balance. Item values range from 1 to 6. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range of 8 to 48.
Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
Change in Perceived Stress Scale
Time Frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
10 items related to anxiety, stress, and coping with upsets. Items values range from 0 to 4 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 0 to 40.
Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
Change in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
Time Frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
10 items that measure core features of postnatal depression. Item values range from 0 to 3 with a higher score indicating higher depressive symptoms, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 0 - 30.
Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
Change in Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (Short Form)
Time Frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
10 items assessing feelings of upset and anxiety versus contentment at the present time. Item values range from 1 to 4 with a higher score indicating higher state anxiety, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a total possible range from 6 to 24.
Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
Change in Coparenting Relationship Scale - Brief
Time Frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
13 items assessing coparent collaboration versus conflict related to child rearing. Items values range from 0 to 6 with higher scores indicating a better coparenting relationship. Items are totaled with a possible range from 0 - 72.
Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Pearlin Mastery Scale
Time Frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
7-item measure of general self-efficacy versus helplessness. Item values range from 1 to 6 with higher scores indicating worse self-efficacy. Scores are totaled with a total possible range from 6 to 42.
Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
Change in Paternal Postnatal Attachment Scale
Time Frame: Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up
Assesses fathers' positive feelings versus lack of enjoyment with the baby. Item values have been revised from the original scale to range from 1 to 6 with higher scores indicating more positive feelings toward the baby. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 19 to 114.
Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Attendance
Time Frame: Measured across the 8 weeks of intervention delivery with one session offered per week.
Number of total sessions attended by participants (dosage)
Measured across the 8 weeks of intervention delivery with one session offered per week.
Facilitator Fidelity to Protocol
Time Frame: Measured across the 8 weeks of intervention delivery
A checklist of intervention items completed by the facilitator to identify adherence to the intervention protocol.
Measured across the 8 weeks of intervention delivery
Helpfulness of Information Sources
Time Frame: Measured at posttest, 8 weeks after pretest.
Fathers report on how helpful they found the provided resources (e.g., handouts) on a scale from 1 to 4 with a higher score indicating a higher degree of helpfulness, a better outcome.
Measured at posttest, 8 weeks after pretest.
Participant Engagement
Time Frame: Measured after each of 8 weekly sessions. Scores for each week were averaged to produce a total score of engagement for all participants.
Facilitator ratings of participants' active participation and evidence that fathers have been trying out skills covered in classes. Engagement was measured by totaling scores from two items. Item one asked facilitator's to rate how active participants were in participating in class measured on a scale from 0 (passive) to 5 (active). Item two asked facilitators to rate the degree to which they have observed the participants trying out the skills they are learning in class on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (yes, quite a lot). After summing scores for the two items, engagement has a possible range of 0-8. Higher scores indicate more engagement, a better outcome.Total scores were averaged to produce a single score of engagement across all weekly sessions and cohorts.
Measured after each of 8 weekly sessions. Scores for each week were averaged to produce a total score of engagement for all participants.
Support Group Social Exchange Scale
Time Frame: Immediately after the intervention
The 27-item Support Group Social Exchange Scale assesses various types of social exchanges that can occur in support group dynamics, including experiential knowledge, emotional support, humor, and unwanted behavior. We removed three of the five items asking about humor, reducing the number of items to 24. Items statements (e.g., "I shared my personal problems with group members") are rated from 0 (never) to 6 (always). Three items ask participants to rate the number of times they interacted with other participants outside of group meetings, such as by doing favors for and socializing with each other, with ordinal response categories ranging from 0 (0 times) to 4 (10 or more times). Item scores are summed to produce a total score for each participant with a possible range from 0 to 156. Higher scores indicate a more positive perception of group social dynamics, a better outcome.
Immediately after the intervention
Satisfaction With DadSpace Program
Time Frame: Immediately after the end of the intervention
Fathers rate their overall satisfaction with the utility of each of the eight sessions on a scale from 0 to 10 with higher scores indicating more satisfaction. Scores are averaged for an average satisfaction score.
Immediately after the end of the intervention
Workshop Environment Scale
Time Frame: Participants completed the workshop environment scale at posttest (time 3).
The Workshop Environment Scale provides a measure of group dynamics and facilitator alliance. Items were adapted to fit the specific program and reduced to 10 questions scaled from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree), with higher scores indicating more positive perceptions of the workshop environment, a better outcome. Item scores were summed to produce a total score with a possible range of 4 to 40.
Participants completed the workshop environment scale at posttest (time 3).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Colorado State University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Colorado Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Julie Braungart-Rieker, PhD, Colorado State University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 6, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 8, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 21, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 1, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 2, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 14, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 1754

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Family Relations

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings