Tuning in to Kids: An Online, Group Program Tailored for Parents of Children With Congenital Heart Disease

December 10, 2025 updated by: Nadine Kasparian, Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

Tuning in to Kids: A Virtually-delivered, Group-based, Psychological Intervention for Parents to Improve Emotional and Behavioral Wellbeing Among Children With Congenital Heart Disease

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a virtually-delivered, group-based psychological intervention, called Tuning in to Kids, is feasible and acceptable for parents of children aged 3 to 6 years with congenital heart disease. The main questions this study aims to answer are:

  • What do parents of children with congenital heart disease think of the Tuning in to Kids intervention?
  • Is the intervention helpful for parents?
  • Is the intervention easy for parents to take part in?
  • Do the researchers find it easy or difficult to deliver the Tuning in to Kids intervention to parents of children with congenital heart disease?

Participants will:

  • Fill out 3 online surveys at home.
  • Take part in the Tuning in to Kids intervention (which includes six 90-minute, weekly, online group sessions and two booster sessions) or standard cardiac care.
  • Take part in an interview.

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

Mental health conditions are common among children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and are strongly associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, as well as lower quality of life. Despite increasing awareness, the mental health needs of children with CHD remain largely unmet, especially among those from historically marginalized and underserved communities. To address this gap, this study will test, for the first time in CHD, a virtually-delivered, group-based psychological intervention, called Tuning in to Kids, designed to teach parents how to help their children understand, regulate, and manage their emotions. The intervention includes six, 90-minute, weekly, online group sessions and two 'booster' sessions, coupled with educational resources and home practice activities to improve parent-child interactions, and enhance child emotional and behavioral functioning. Each group is facilitated by two qualified health professionals who are trained in, and certified to deliver, the Tuning in to Kids intervention. In this pilot randomized controlled trial, we will enroll 40 parents (or other primary caregivers) of children aged 3 or 6 years with CHD who underwent surgical intervention in infancy. The primary aim of this study is to assess intervention acceptability and feasibility, and the results generated will directly inform the design of, and provide preliminary data for, a multicenter efficacy trial to examine short- and longer-term intervention effects.

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.
39

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
    • Ohio
      • Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45229
        • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Child is aged between 3 and 6 years.
  2. Child is receiving care from the Cincinnati Children's Heart Institute (at least one cardiology visit in the past 12 months).
  3. Child has congenital heart disease requiring cardiopulmonary bypass during infancy (i.e., by age 12 months).
  4. Parent or primary caregiver can give consent and participate in the study in English.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Child has a diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder (e.g., autism, Trisomy 18), is not speaking, or is not functioning at the developmental level of a typical 3-year-old at the time of study recruitment.
  2. Child current medical status or treatment precludes study participation.
  3. Parent is aged under 18 years.
  4. Parent is currently participating in another parent-focused or parent training program (e.g., Parent-Child Interaction Therapy).
  5. Parent suffers from substance misuse or severe, unmanaged mental illness.
  6. Parent has an intellectual disability impacting capacity to independently provide informed consent.
  7. The child's treating physician or the study interventionalist identifies the parent or child as having a condition or circumstance that is contraindicative to engagement with the Tuning in to Kids program.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

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.
No Intervention: Standard Cardiac Care
Participants assigned to the Standard Cardiac Care group will continue to participate in their child's usual cardiac care and can access any supports available to their child and family. Participants in this group will not take part in the Tuning in to Kids program as part of this study; however, once the study has ended, participants will be offered an opportunity to receive Tuning in to Kids, if they would like to.
Experimental: Tuning in to Kids (Treatment Arm)
Participants will receive Standard Cardiac Care plus the Tuning in to Kids intervention.
Behavioral: Tuning in to Kids
Tuning in to Kids is an evidence-based, emotion-focused, group parenting program designed to teach caregivers skills in recognizing, understanding, and managing their own and their children's emotions. The program includes six 90-minute, weekly, online group sessions and two optional 'booster' sessions to consolidate skills. Parents are taught five steps of emotion coaching and participate in exercises sequentially targeting each step. Intervention components include psychoeducation, emotion coaching demonstrations, role plays, group discussion, written resources, and home practice exercises. The program teaches parents skills in emotion coaching as a way of responding to their child's emotions. These skills help children to understand and regulate their emotions. As per the Tuning in to Kids manual, two trained, licensed health professionals will co-facilitate each group.

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
Enrollment Rate
Time Frame: Enrollment
≥70% of eligible approached parents enrolled.
Enrollment
Retention Rate
Time Frame: From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
≥80% of parents who complete all study procedures.
From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
Proportion of Participants Who Receive All Intervention Content (Fidelity)
Time Frame: From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
≥80% of parents who receive all intervention content (intervention group only).
From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
Proportion of Participants with Complete Data (Assessment Completion)
Time Frame: From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
≥80% of parents with complete data.
From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
Intervention Acceptability
Time Frame: After Tuning in to Kids Session 3
Treatment Acceptability Scale (TAS) score ≥28 (intervention group only). TAS total scores can range from 7 to 56, with higher scores indicating greater intervention acceptability.
After Tuning in to Kids Session 3
Satisfaction with the Intervention
Time Frame: After Tuning in to Kids Session 6 (at approximately 8 weeks)
Tuning in to Kids Experiences Scale (intervention group only): study-specific measure designed to assess participant satisfaction with the Tuning in to Kids program.
After Tuning in to Kids Session 6 (at approximately 8 weeks)

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
Child Strengths and Difficulties
Time Frame: From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): 25-item, validated, widely-used behavioral screening measure with a mix of positive and negatively phrased items assessing five domains (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity-inattention, peer problems, pro-social behavior). Subscale scores are combined (excluding the pro-social scale) into a Total Difficulties score ranging from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating more problems (with the exception of the pro-social behavior subscale).
From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
Parent Difficulties with Emotion Regulation
Time Frame: From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form (DERS-SF): 18-item, widely-used, validated scale assessing emotional regulation reported by adults (i.e., parents and caregivers) across 6 domains (strategies, non-acceptance, impulse, goals, awareness, clarity). Response options range from 1 ('almost never') to 5 ('almost always'), with total scores ranging from 18 to 90, and higher scores indicating greater difficulties in emotion regulation.
From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
Parent Emotional Style
Time Frame: From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
Parent Emotional Style Questionnaire (PESQ): Validated 21-item scale assessing parents' beliefs about their child's emotions, including sadness, anger, and fear.
From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
Parent Coping with Children's Negative Emotions
Time Frame: From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)
Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES): 12 scenarios of child negative emotion; parents rate their likelihood of responding in each of six ways.
From enrollment to 1-month post intervention period (up to approximately 12 weeks)

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.
Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

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: Nadine A Kasparian, PhD, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

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.
September 26, 2024

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.
November 6, 2025

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.
November 6, 2025

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 18, 2024

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 19, 2024

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.
September 24, 2024

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 12, 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.
December 10, 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.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

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.
  • 2024-0337

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Participant data that underlie the results reported in the published paper, after deidentification (text, tables, figures, and appendices).

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 12 months and ending 24 months following publication.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Investigators whose proposed use of the data has been approved by an independent review committee identified for this purpose.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

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.

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