Fatherhood Program Services for Improved Fatherhood Relationships

Overseen By Ted C Jurkiewicz, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Male

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Midwest Evaluation & Research

Disqualifiers: Minor, Not a father, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 13

747 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The purpose of this study is to help fathers establish and strengthen their relationship with their children and the mothers of their children; to reduce domestic violence in vulnerable families; to improve economic stability of fathers through comprehensive, job-driven career services; to employ intensive case management barrier removal, individual job coaching, and comprehensive family development to improve short and long-term outcomes.

Do I need to stop taking my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program?

Research shows that programs similar to the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program, like the Family Formation program, have led to improvements in parenting, psychological well-being, and financial outcomes for fathers. Additionally, couple-focused programs have been successful in increasing father involvement and satisfaction in parenting tasks. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the Fatherhood Program Services treatment safe for participants?

The available research on fatherhood programs, including the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood initiative, does not report any safety concerns for participants. These programs have been implemented widely across the United States, focusing on relationship education and father involvement without noted safety issues. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

How does the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program treatment differ from other treatments for improving fatherhood relationships?

The Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program is unique because it integrates relationship education with fatherhood and employment support, focusing on improving family dynamics and economic self-sufficiency. Unlike other treatments, it involves both fathers and their co-parenting partners in group workshops, aiming to reduce personal distress and improve communication, which indirectly benefits children's behavior and fathers' economic stability. ^{1 10 11 12 13}

Research Team

Matt D Shepherd, PhD

Principal Investigator

Midwest Evaluation & Research

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for adult fathers or father figures over the age of 18 living in Franklin County, Ohio. It aims to support them in strengthening relationships with their children and partners, reducing domestic violence, improving job stability, and overcoming personal challenges through tailored services.

Inclusion Criteria

Father/father figure

I am 18 years old or older.

Reside in Franklin County, Ohio

Exclusion Criteria

Reside outside of Franklin County, Ohio

I am under 18 years old.

Not a father/father figure

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Program Enrollment

Participants enroll in the All in Dads! program, which includes educational services and employment support

5 weeks

1 visit (in-person) at enrollment

Program Completion

Participants complete the core curricula and receive ongoing job readiness and post-employment support

5 weeks

Multiple sessions (in-person and virtual)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in parenting and financial behaviors 12 months after enrollment

12 months

Data collection at 12 months post-enrollment

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program

Trial Overview The study tests a program offering comprehensive services to fathers. These include relationship counseling, domestic violence prevention strategies, career development assistance, intensive case management, individual coaching and family development programs.

Participant Groups

Group I: Primary Services Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants receive 16 hours of Father Factor curricula, 4 hours of The New Playbook curricula, 4 hours of Money Smart curricula over the course of five weeks. Participants also receive on-going job readiness support and post-employment support.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Midwest Evaluation & Research

Lead Sponsor

Trials

11

Recruited

11,700+

Action for Children

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

750+

Findings from Research

The Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood initiative has successfully provided relationship education and fatherhood programs to over 2 million individuals in the U.S. over the past two decades.

Recent randomized controlled trials conducted as part of this initiative aim to evaluate the effectiveness of these community-based programs, highlighting the integration of program evaluation with family science.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Introduction to special section: Federally funded, community-based healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood program impact studies. Rhoades, GK., Doss, BD., Carlson, RG.[2022]

Substance use treatment programs often overlook the parenting status of men, despite evidence that programs focusing on gender and motherhood improve treatment outcomes for women.

The paper presents pilot outcomes from a fatherhood-focused intervention in a residential treatment program, suggesting that integrating parenting components could enhance treatment effectiveness and positively impact child welfare.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Where's Dad? The Importance of Integrating Fatherhood and Parenting Programming into Substance Use Treatment for Men. Stover, CS., Carlson, M., Patel, S., et al.[2020]

The Bringing Baby Home program significantly increased father involvement in parenting tasks among 136 pregnant couples, as measured by self-reports after the intervention.

Fathers who participated in the program also reported higher satisfaction with parenting responsibilities and felt more appreciated by their wives, leading to greater overall satisfaction in the division of parenting labor for both partners.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Father's Involvement When Bringing Baby Home: Efficacy Testing of a Couple-Focused Transition to Parenthood Intervention for Promoting Father Involvement. Shapiro, AF., Gottman, JM., Fink, BC.[2022]

The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' program led to significant weight loss in fathers, with an average loss of 7.6 kg over 6 months, compared to no weight change in the control group, indicating its efficacy in promoting weight management.

The program also improved various health metrics in fathers, such as waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure, and physical activity, while positively influencing children's physical activity and dietary habits, highlighting the program's role in fostering healthier family dynamics.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' randomized controlled trial: efficacy of a healthy lifestyle program for overweight fathers and their children. Morgan, PJ., Lubans, DR., Callister, R., et al.[2022]

The SAFE® program significantly improved secure attachment between infants and their fathers, with 84.6% of infants in the SAFE group securely attached compared to 65.8% in the control group, based on a year-long randomized control trial.

While the program effectively enhanced father-infant attachment, it did not show a significant difference in secure attachment between mothers and infants, indicating a targeted impact on father involvement.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

*The efficacy of the attachment-based SAFE® prevention program: a randomized control trial including mothers and fathers. Walter, I., Landers, S., Quehenberger, J., et al.[2020]

The study involved 686 low-income fathers participating in a responsible fatherhood program, highlighting the importance of understanding their views on family violence to improve child and family outcomes.

By identifying risk and protective factors related to fathers' approval of family violence, the research aims to inform programs that promote responsible fatherhood and healthy relationships, ultimately preventing intimate partner violence.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Risk and Protective Factors for Family Violence among Low-Income Fathers: Implications for Violence Prevention and Fatherhood Programs. Hayward, RA., Honegger, L., Hammock, AC.[2019]

Current early parenting programs primarily target mothers, which may limit the involvement of fathers in family support initiatives.

The paper highlights barriers to father involvement in these programs and suggests that insights from European and international fatherhood research can help create more inclusive strategies to engage fathers effectively.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Fathers in Early Parenting Programs. Impulses from the European and International Fatherhood Research]. Ahnert, L.[2022]

The TRUE Dads program, which involved 1,042 co-parenting teams in a series of workshops, led to significant improvements in fathers' mental health, communication, and employment status compared to a control group.

The intervention demonstrated that enhancing relationship quality between co-parents and reducing personal distress can positively impact parenting and children's behavior, suggesting that combining fatherhood support with relationship and employment programs may be more effective for low-income families.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

TRUE Dads: The impact of a couples-based fatherhood intervention on family relationships, child outcomes, and economic self-sufficiency. Cowan, PA., Cowan, CP., Gillette, PF.[2022]

The fatherhood training program by REACHUP, Inc. showed significant improvements in participants' self-awareness, fathering skills, and relationship skills, with pretest scores averaging 8.90 and posttest scores averaging 16.42 out of 22, indicating a strong positive impact over five years.

Attendance in the program nearly doubled from 55 participants in 2013 to 97 in 2017, highlighting a growing recognition of the importance of male involvement in parenting, with benefits extending to non-biological fathers like grandfathers and uncles.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of a 24/7 Dad® Curriculum in Improving Father Involvement: Profiles of Engagement. Wilson, RE., Obure, R., Omokaro, P., et al.[2022]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Introduction to special section: Federally funded, community-based healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood program impact studies. [2022]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The impact of responsible fatherhood programs on parenting, psychological well-being, and financial outcomes: A randomized controlled trial. [2022]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Where's Dad? The Importance of Integrating Fatherhood and Parenting Programming into Substance Use Treatment for Men. [2020]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Father's Involvement When Bringing Baby Home: Efficacy Testing of a Couple-Focused Transition to Parenthood Intervention for Promoting Father Involvement. [2022]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

An approach to preventing coparenting conflict and divorce in low-income families: strengthening couple relationships and fostering fathers' involvement. [2019]

6. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assessing the impacts of an interdisciplinary programme supporting father involvement on professionals' practices with fathers: A qualitative study. [2020]

7. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' randomized controlled trial: efficacy of a healthy lifestyle program for overweight fathers and their children. [2022]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

*The efficacy of the attachment-based SAFE® prevention program: a randomized control trial including mothers and fathers. [2020]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Risk and Protective Factors for Family Violence among Low-Income Fathers: Implications for Violence Prevention and Fatherhood Programs. [2019]

10. Germany pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Fathers in Early Parenting Programs. Impulses from the European and International Fatherhood Research]. [2022]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Marriage and fatherhood programs. [2019]

12. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

TRUE Dads: The impact of a couples-based fatherhood intervention on family relationships, child outcomes, and economic self-sufficiency. [2022]

13. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of a 24/7 Dad® Curriculum in Improving Father Involvement: Profiles of Engagement. [2022]