Encouraging Positive Parenting Habits (HABITE)

Encouraging Positive Parenting Habits Through Digital Media: Feasibility Study

This study evaluates the feasibility and preliminary impacts of a new parenting program consisting of a series of educational videos, automatically delivered via a popular texting platform. The program content for the feasibility study is focused on teaching parents strategies to better manage one of the commonly reported challenges that children face, a transition to a non-preferred activity. Parents with young children experiencing behavior difficulties with daily transition routines are invited to participate in the study.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: ADHD
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: HabitE (effective parenting habit) program (in Brazilian Portuguese)

Detailed Description

This feasibility study employs a pre-post, open trial design with the primary aim to investigate the feasibility of the automated delivery of parenting educational materials via a widely used texting platform. The training videos demonstrate the applications of antecedent- and reinforcement-based behavior management techniques in a specific situation and encourage parents to build positive parenting habits. The program usability and satisfaction will be assessed through daily interactions of the participants with the program and post-program questionnaires. The study targets parents of children demonstrating behavioral difficulties managing everyday routines at home, while having difficulty accessing traditional forms of psychosocial treatment. In particular, children of ADHD often experience these difficulties, potential participants are informed that the program is for children demonstrating behaviors consistent with ADHD, and ADHD symptoms will be evaluated pre- and post-program participation, although the presence of the disorder will not be required for the program participation. The investigators expect parents to engage well in the program delivered via digital media. Based on the existing literature on the effectiveness of behavior parent training delivered in traditional in-person format, the investigators expect a moderate effect size in the pre-post measures of parenting practices and the child target behavior for this study.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 200
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Camila Bernardes; Phone Number: +5521966834545; Email: camila.bfaria@idor.org

Study Locations

• Brazil
  • Brazil, Brazil
    • Recruiting
    • Instituto D'Or de Pesquisa e Ensino (IDOR)

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Parents of children aged from 4 to 10 years old
• Parents experiencing behavior difficulties with daily transition routines (parent-report).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Parents that do not have the children living with them at least 5 days per week every week;

  • While participating parents are informed that the program was developed for children demonstrating symptoms of ADHD, the low symptom number will not be used as an exclusion criteria.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Feasibility testing of an education program promoting effective parenting habit; Parents will receive a series of 6 short videos via Whatsapp	Behavioral: HabitE (effective parenting habit) program (in Brazilian Portuguese); Parents who enroll in the program will receive a series of 6 videos (~ 7 minutes each), 1 video at a time, generally every 3 days. They will also receive daily written texts, which include implementation tips and an assessment of a target (transition) behavior.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Percentage of completed daily ratings	The percentage of completed daily ratings (minimum 0, maximum 17). Parents are asked to provide daily ratings on the degree of success in implementing parenting strategies taught.	1 month
Participant satisfaction	The parent-rated satisfaction regarding information presented in the videos. A rating completed after each video viewing using a 4-point scale. Averaged across the ratings completed for the videos viewed. (Minimum 0, maximum 4). Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction.	1 month
Number of videos viewed	The number of videos viewed (minimum 0, maximum 5) to evaluate participant engagement	1 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Parent-rated child's difficulties with daily transitions	The parent-rated child's difficulties with 9 common daily transitions. Ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 3-point scale. Averaged across the ratings completed for the 9 transitions. Higher scores indicate greater difficulties.	1 month
Parent-rated child's impairment related to transition difficulties	The parent-rated level of impairment caused by transition difficulties (1 item). Ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 7 point scale. Higher scores indicate greater impairment.	1 month
Inconsistent parenting	Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Scale (MAPS) Lax Control subscale. Parent ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 5-point scale. Average across 6 items. Lower scores indicate less frequent incidents of inconsistent parenting.	1 month
Use of physical control	MAPS Physical Control. Parent ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 5-point scale. Average across 4 items. Lower scores indicate less frequent use of physical disciplines.	1 month
Hostility toward child	MAPS Hostility subscale. Parent ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 5-point scale. Average across 7 items. Lower scores indicate less frequent use of hostile reactions during parent-child interactions.	1 month
Parent Stress	Parent stress scale. Parent ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 5-point scale. Average across 18 items. Lower scores indicate lower levels of stress.	1 month

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
ADHD symptoms	Strengths and Weakness of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Normal Behavior Scale (SWAN) inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms total. Parent ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 7-point scale. Averaged across 18 items. Higher scores indicate ADHD symptoms more frequently observed.	1 month
ODD symptoms	SWAN oppositional/defiant symptoms total. Parent ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 7-point scale. Averaged across 8 items. Higher scores indicate ODD symptoms more frequently observed.	1 month
Irritability	Affective Reactivity Index (ARI). Parent ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 3-point scale. Averaged across 6 items. Higher scores indicate irritability more frequently observed.	1 month
Proactive parenting	MAPS Proactive Parenting subscale. Parent ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 5-point scale. Average across 6 items. Lower scores indicate less frequent incidents of inconsistent parenting.	1 month
Use of positive reinforcement	MAPS Positive Reinforcement subscale. Parent ratings completed before and after the intervention using a 5-point scale. Average across 4 items. Lower scores indicate less frequent use of physical disciplines.	1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: D'Or Institute for Research and Education
• Collaborators: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 5, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): March 12, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 15, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 10, 2024
• Last Verified: October 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: ADHD; Parent Training; Treatment Access
• Other Study ID Numbers: HABITE

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