Effectiveness of a Web-based Intervention for Guardians of Children Whose One Parent Has Murdered the Other

August 5, 2015 updated by: University of Virginia

Testing an IHCA for Guardians of Survivors of Intraparental Homicide

This study will determine whether a specialized Web site geared for the guardians of children whose one parent has murdered the other can increase guardian capabilities, reduce guardian stress, and improve child behavior and mental health.

Study Overview

Status

Withdrawn

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Intraparental homicide (IPH), when one parent kills the other, leaves approximately 4,000 children bereaved each year, adding to a total of 70,000 currently in the United States. Although few studies have focused on this phenomenon, available data indicate children of IPH suffer short- and long-term mental health consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prior research also indicates that guardians, often family members under stress themselves, do not know how to help the children. No interventions directed at guardians of child survivors of IPH are found in scientific and clinical literature. Use of a specialized Web site called an Interactive Healthcare Communication Application (IHCA) has been found effective in treating multiple health conditions, including breast cancer in women and asthma in children. This study aims to refine an IHCA Web site for use by guardians of child survivors of IPH, to determine the safety and effectiveness of this Web site, and to determine how it is used by targeted guardians.

In the first phase of this study researchers will develop the IHCA based on feedback from a small focus group of guardians of child survivors of IPH. Then guardians of survivors of IPH up to 16 years old will be randomly assigned either to receive access to the IHCA created for them or to have access only to generally available Internet information. The IHCA will have six components: (1) an Instant Library of articles on topics of interest; (2) a resource directory of both national and local support and service organizations; (3) access to a peer communication system; (4) a Frequently Asked Questions section, updated with responses to user generated questions; (5) an "Ask an Expert" system staffed by researchers; and (6) personal stories of others dealing with IPH. Participants with access to the IHCA will receive print and phone instructions explaining the Web site and have their usage monitored by tracking software. Those in the control group will be directed to a Web site linking to publically available, pre-existing support Web sites. After 16 weeks of unlimited access to the IHCA or control group Web sites from their home computers, all participants will complete four evaluation reviews: the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales, the Parenting Stress Index, the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Child PTSD Inventory - Parent.

Study Type

Interventional

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • United States
    • Virginia
      • Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, 22908
        • University of Virginia

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Able to speak and read English at a 7th grade level
  • Guardian of a child survivor of parental homicide aged 0 to 16 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • None

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 1-Intervention
For 16 weeks, participants will have access to an interactive healthcare communication application (IHCA).
Behavioral: Interactive Healthcare Communication Application
The IHCA is an Internet-based tool that integrates multiple resources for guardians of survivors of interparental homicide. The IHCA will have six components: (1) an instant library of articles on topics of interest; (2) a resource directory of both national and local support and service organizations; (3) access to a peer communication system; (4) a Frequently Asked Questions section, updated with responses to user generated questions; (5) an "Ask an Expert" system staffed by researchers; and (6) personal stories of others dealing with IPH.
Other Names:
  • IHCA
Active Comparator: 2- Control
For 16 weeks, participants will have access to generally available Internet-based information about parenting, trauma, and child development.
Behavioral: Control Web sites
Only publicly available Web sites on parenting, child development, and trauma will be used.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales (F-COPES)
Time Frame: Measured at 16 weeks
Measured at 16 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Parenting Stress Index (PSI)
Time Frame: Measured at 16 weeks
Measured at 16 weeks
Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/6-18) Parent form
Time Frame: Measured at 16 weeks
Measured at 16 weeks
Child PTSD Inventory-Parent (CPTSDI-P):
Time Frame: Measured at 16 weeks
Measured at 16 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Virginia

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Kathryn S. Laughon, PhD RN, University of Virginia School of Nursing

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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

July 1, 2008

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2009

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 14, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 14, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

August 18, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 7, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 5, 2015

Last Verified

August 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2008-0130-00
  • DDTR B3-PDS (Other Identifier: FDAAA)
  • R21MH082197 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 1R21MH082197-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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.

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