Parenting and Employment Support for Fatherhood

Overseen By McKenna C LeClear

Age: 18+

Sex: Male

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Midwest Evaluation & Research

Disqualifiers: Under 18, Not a father, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

1283 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The purpose of the SAY San Diego Dad Corps FIRE program evaluation is to determine whether primary (i.e., behaviors) and secondary (i.e., attitudes) outcomes around parenting, co-parenting, employment, job readiness, and financial stability improve for participants after completing the SAY SDDC FIRE program.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

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

What data supports the effectiveness of the SAY SDDC FIRE Program treatment?

Research on similar fatherhood programs shows that they can improve parenting, psychological well-being, and financial outcomes for fathers. Programs like TRUE Dads have shown that integrating fatherhood and employment support can lead to better family relationships and increased economic self-sufficiency. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the Parenting and Employment Support for Fatherhood program safe for participants?

The research articles reviewed do not provide specific safety data for the Parenting and Employment Support for Fatherhood program or its related programs like SAY SDDC FIRE. However, similar fatherhood programs, such as 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids,' focus on promoting healthy lifestyles and father involvement, which are generally considered safe and beneficial for participants. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

How does the SAY SDDC FIRE Program treatment differ from other fatherhood support treatments?

The SAY SDDC FIRE Program is unique because it specifically targets father engagement by incorporating strategies like father-only groups and adapting interventions to father preferences, which are often overlooked in standard parenting programs. This approach aims to enhance father involvement in parenting and employment, addressing a gap in traditional interventions that typically have low father participation rates. ^{8 11 12 13 14}

Research Team

Matt D Shepherd, PhD

Principal Investigator

Midwest Evaluation & Research

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for adult fathers or father figures living in the San Diego, CA area with a child under 24 years old. It's not open to those who aren't fathers/father figures, live outside of San Diego, have children over 24, or are minors.

Inclusion Criteria

I have a child who is under 24 years old.

I am a father or serve as a father figure.

Reside in the San Diego, CA area

Exclusion Criteria

Reside outside of San Diego, CA area

I am a father with children older than 24.

I am under 18 years old.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Program Enrollment and Core Curriculum

Participants enroll in an eight-week program that includes 16 hours of 24/7 Dads curricula, 4 hours of Healthy Relationships workshops, and 4 hours of Economic Stability workshops.

8 weeks

Weekly sessions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in parenting, co-parenting, and financial behaviors and attitudes 12 months after program enrollment.

12 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• SAY SDDC FIRE Program

Trial Overview The SAY San Diego Dad Corps FIRE program is being evaluated to see if it improves parenting behaviors and attitudes, co-parenting skills, employment status, job readiness, and financial stability after participation.

Participant Groups

Group I: Primary Services Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Primary services: Participants receive 16 hours of 24/7 Dads curricula, 4 hours of Healthy Relationships workshops, and 4 hours of Economic Stability workshops over the course of 8 weeks. Participants also receive ongoing job readiness support and post-employment support.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Midwest Evaluation & Research

Lead Sponsor

Trials

11

Recruited

11,700+

Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego Dads Corps

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

1,300+

Findings from Research

The educational program for fathers significantly improved father-infant interaction scores, particularly in caregiving aspects, suggesting that targeted education can enhance parenting skills.

While the program did not show significant changes in infant development knowledge or father-infant attachment, it indicates that hybrid educational approaches can be effective in fostering better interactions between fathers and their infants.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of a hybrid online and offline program for facilitating father-infant interactions in South Korea: a quasi-experimental study. Park, SE., Bang, KS.[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 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]

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]

Community-based programs for low-income fathers often face challenges in achieving high attendance rates, but some programs successfully engage fathers in parenting and economic security classes.

Higher levels of participation (or dosage) in these programs are positively associated with better outcomes for fathers, including increased engagement with children, improved parenting satisfaction, and higher earnings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Fathers' Dosage in Community-based Programs for Low-income Fathers. Fagan, J., Pearson, J.[2021]

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]

The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' (HDHK) program led to significant weight loss in fathers, with an average loss of 3.3 kg compared to a negligible change in the control group, indicating its effectiveness in promoting weight management.

The program also positively impacted various health metrics for fathers, including reductions in waist circumference, BMI, resting heart rate, and improvements in physical activity levels, while also encouraging increased physical activity in their children.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' community randomized controlled trial: a community-based healthy lifestyle program for fathers and their children. Morgan, PJ., Collins, CE., Plotnikoff, RC., et al.[2022]

Paternal involvement in children's lives is linked to better outcomes such as improved cognition, mental health, and lower rates of obesity and asthma, highlighting the importance of engaging fathers in pediatric care.

Despite the benefits, pediatric care often focuses on mothers, neglecting paternal health, which could be improved by innovative strategies like motivational interviewing and mobile technologies to better involve fathers in their children's health.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Promoting Father Involvement for Child and Family Health. Allport, BS., Johnson, S., Aqil, A., et al.[2019]

Despite the increasing need for mental health interventions for children, father engagement in these programs remains low, with 58% of studies reporting engagement rates below 50%.

Effective strategies to engage fathers, such as adapting treatment formats and settings, are rarely implemented, with most interventions still focusing on traditional behavioral parent training without specific adaptations for fathers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Intervention and Implementation Characteristics to Enhance Father Engagement: A Systematic Review of Parenting Interventions. Gonzalez, JC., Klein, CC., Barnett, ML., et al.[2023]

References

1. 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]

2. Korea (South) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of a hybrid online and offline program for facilitating father-infant interactions in South Korea: a quasi-experimental study. [2022]

3. 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]

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

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

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

Lessons Learned on Recruiting and Retaining Young Fathers in a Parenting and Repeat Pregnancy Prevention Program. [2020]

6. 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]

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

Fathers' Dosage in Community-based Programs for Low-income Fathers. [2021]

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

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

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

The 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' community randomized controlled trial: a community-based healthy lifestyle program for fathers and their children. [2022]

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

Promoting Father Involvement for Child and Family Health. [2019]

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

Intervention and Implementation Characteristics to Enhance Father Engagement: A Systematic Review of Parenting Interventions. [2023]

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

Enhancing Father Involvement in Low-Income Families: A Couples Group Approach to Preventive Intervention. [2018]

13. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

New measure for fathers of children with developmental challenges. [2015]

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

Teenage fathers: working with the neglected partner in adolescent childbearing. [2006]