Evaluation of a Video-Based Media Series to Promote Effective Parenting (ParentMedia)

Researchers are developing and experimentally evaluating two variants of a 10-episode, brief (12 minutes per episode), infotainment-style television series targeted at parenting practices, to determine the potential value of television for bringing evidence-based parenting practices to parents. The study compares an "information-only" version of the television series against an "enhanced" version that is designed to actively promote parents' adoption of the targeted strategies. Both versions of the series are compared against a waitlist control group. The media series is derived from the Triple P Positive Parenting Program.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Childhood Disruptive Behavior Problems
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Triple P Media Series -- Standard "Information-Only" version; Behavioral: Triple P Media Series -- Enhanced "Behavior Activation" version

Detailed Description

The mass media, and television in particular, hold significant potential as part of a population-wide strategy for bringing evidence-based parenting practices to a broad range of parents experiencing challenges raising their children. The potential of television for affecting parenting has received very little research attention, however; thus, little is known about how media messages to affect parenting practices might be optimally designed. This study will develop and experimentally evaluate two variants of a 10-episode, brief (12 minutes per episode), infotainment-style television series targeted at parenting practices, derived from the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program (Sanders, 1999). A sample of 300 families of children ages 3-6 years with somewhat elevated disruptive behavior problems will be randomized to (a) receive a standard "information-only" version of the series that includes only modeling and demonstration of target parenting skills, (b) receive an enhanced "behavior activation" version of the series designed to actively promote parental behavior change, through elements addressing attributions, self-efficacy and expectancies, social support, and emotional reactivity, or (c) a waitlist control group. Measures of parents' parenting practices, cognitions, affect, and social support, and children's disruptive behavior problems, will be obtained at baseline, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up. The relative efficacy of the standard and enhanced versions of the Triple P Media Series in improving these outcomes will be examined, as well as moderators of these effects, such as baseline level of behavior problems and parental stress. This study will further our understanding of the potential value of television programming for improving parenting practices.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 318
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Oregon
    • Eugene, Oregon, United States, 97403
      • Oregon Research Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• parent(s) living with a child 3 to 6 years old
• child scores 1 or more standard deviations above the mean on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory
• English speaking
• parent at least 20 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

• currently receiving any other structured parenting intervention (home visits, parenting classes, individual parent training, family therapy)
• father-only households

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control; Waitlist control
Active Comparator: Standard; Standard "information-only" version of the television series that includes only modeling and demonstration of the targeted parenting skills	Behavioral: Triple P Media Series -- Standard "Information-Only" version; 10 episodes, 12 minutes per episode, 2 episodes viewed per week for a total of 5 weeks. Demonstrates parenting practices for effectively handling a range of difficult child behaviors.
Experimental: Enhanced; Enhanced "behavior activation" version of the television series that includes all of the content of the standard "information-only" version, but is also designed to actively promote parental behavior change, through additional content elements addressing attributions, self-efficacy and expectancies, social support, and emotional reactivity.	Behavioral: Triple P Media Series -- Enhanced "Behavior Activation" version; 10 episodes, 12 minutes per episode, 2 episodes viewed per week for a total of 5 weeks. Demonstrates parenting practices for effectively handling a range of difficult child behaviors; includes specific content elements designed to promote parents' adoption of the targeted parenting skills

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Child problem behavior: measured by the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (Eyberg & Ross, 1978), phone interview, and observation coding from a structured lab task procedure	baseline, immediate post, 6-month follow-up
Problematic parenting practices: measured by the Parenting Scale (Arnold et al., 1993), phone interview, and observation coding from a structured lab task procedure	baseline, immediate post, 6-month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Parent knowledge: Triple P Parenting Quiz	baseline, immediate post, 6-month follow-up
Parental attributions for child misbehavior: Parent's Attributions for Child's Behavior Measure (Pidgeon & Sanders, 2004)	baseline, immediate post, 6-month follow-up
Parental self-efficacy: Problem Behavior and Setting Checklist (Sanders & Wooley, 2005)	baseline, immediate post, 6-month follow-up
Parental stress: Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Short Form (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995)	baseline, immediate post, 6-month follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Oregon Research Institute
• Collaborators: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Carol W Metzler, PhD, Oregon Research Institute

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2008
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Actual): March 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 6, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 6, 2008
• First Posted (Estimate): February 11, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): March 31, 2014
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 27, 2014
• Last Verified: March 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: children; prevention; parenting; media; behavior problems; television
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Problem Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: DA021307; R01DA021307 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)