Evaluation of the Efficacy of the Becoming Parents Program

Study of the Effects of the Becoming Parents Program on Couples Becoming Parents for the First Time

The primary aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of the Becoming Parents Program--a couple focused educational program for couples having a first child--on individual and couple well being and the parent-infant relationship over the first three years of parenthood.

Other aims of this study are to evaluate the cost of implementing the Becoming Parents Program; to describe changes in individual and couple well-being over time, viewing the transition to parenthood from a developmental perspective using data from the control group; examine the various variables in the study over time from pregnancy through three years post-birth.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Pregnancy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Becoming Parents Program

Detailed Description

The transition to parenthood is extremely difficult for both mothers and fathers, yet education and support during this major life transition emphasize getting through labor and birth, rather than preparing couples for the many changes accompanying parenthood. The classes of the Becoming Parents Program provide information and skills for taking care of the couple relationship, taking care of self, interacting with the baby, and the many ways becoming parents changes peoples' lives.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of the Becoming Parents Program classes on individual well being (measured by symptoms of depression and stress, perceived health, risk behaviors, health practices, health resource utilization), couple well-being (measured by marital satisfaction and stability), and the parent-infant relationship (measured by observation of the mother feeding the baby and the father teaching the baby) over the first three years of parenthood. Information is gathered by paper-and-pencil questionnaires during pregnancy, and at six months, one year, two years, and three years post-birth and by observation of parent-infant interaction at three months post-birth and videotaping and coding of couple interaction at six months post-birth.

Hypotheses are that couples who receive the Becoming Parents Program classes as compared to the couples who do not will:

1. have higher levels of marital satisfaction
2. have lower levels of depression
3. have less symptoms of stress
4. have higher levels of marital stability
5. communicate more effectively about a problem issue
6. have higher levels of health and well-being
7. score higher on observational evaluations of parent-infant interaction
8. report they are more satisfied with parenting, their partner's involvement in parenting their child, and with who does what in their family

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 940
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• married couples
• expecting the birth of a first child
• not more than 30 weeks pregnant

Exclusion Criteria:

• consider their couple relationship in immediate danger or breaking up

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: 1; Subjects receiving the Becoming Parents Program	Behavioral: Becoming Parents Program; Couple focused educational program for couples adding a new baby to the family-21 hours of workshops during pregnancy with two three hour workshops after the baby is born.
Placebo Comparator: 2; Subjects not receiving the Becoming Parents Program	Behavioral: Becoming Parents Program; Couple focused educational program for couples adding a new baby to the family-21 hours of workshops during pregnancy with two three hour workshops after the baby is born.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Scores on a marital satisfaction scale at 6 months, 1 , 2 , 3 post-birth	6 mos, 1 yr, 2 yrs, 3 yrs post-birth

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Scores on a depression rating scale	6 mos, 1 yr, 2 yrs, 3 yrs post-birth
Scores on a symptoms of stress measure	6 mos, 1 yr, 2 yrs, 3 yrs post-birth
Whether or not subject couples are still married	6 mos, 1 yr, 2 yrs, 3 yrs post-birth
Coding of how effectively couples communicate about a problem issue in their relationship as observed from a videotape of the couples interacting at 6 months post-birth	6 mos post-birth
Individual participant ratings of their own health, their partner's health, their baby's health	6 mos, 1 yr, 2 yrs, 3 yrs post-birth
Identification of health risk behaviors and health practices	6 mos, 1 yr, 2 yrs, 3 yrs post-birth
Health resource utilization	6 mos, 1 yr, 2 yrs, 3 yrs post-birth

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Washington
• Collaborators: National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Pamela L Jordan, PhD, Dept of Family & Child Nursing, University of Washington

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2002
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2008
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 21, 2005
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 21, 2005
• First Posted (Estimate): October 25, 2005

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): October 15, 2008
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 13, 2008
• Last Verified: October 1, 2008

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: parents; mothers; fathers
• Other Study ID Numbers: 96-2009-C14; R01NR004912 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)