Fatherhood Works Program for Enhancing Parenting Skills

Overseen By Matt D Shepherd

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

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: Unknown

397 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

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 Fatherhood Works Program treatment?

Research shows that programs designed to engage fathers in parenting, like the Fatherhood Works Program, can lead to fewer child behavior problems, improved parenting practices, and better teamwork between parents. Studies also indicate that father-focused interventions can increase father involvement and satisfaction in parenting roles. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the Fatherhood Works Program safe for participants?

The SafeCare Dad to Kids program, which is similar to the Fatherhood Works Program, was found to be acceptable and safe for participants, with high satisfaction ratings and improvements in parenting skills among fathers. ^{2 5 6 7 8}

How is the Fatherhood Works Program treatment different from other parenting interventions?

The Fatherhood Works Program is unique because it specifically focuses on enhancing parenting skills for fathers, which is often overlooked in traditional parenting programs. Unlike many existing interventions, it emphasizes father involvement and aims to improve father-child interactions, which can lead to healthier family dynamics. ^{5 7 9 10 11}

What is the purpose of this trial?

The key goal of this descriptive evaluation is to assess the extent to which participation in the Fatherhood Works Program is positively associated with improved attitudes and behaviors among fathers and father figures in Central Texas. Research questions will focus on whether attitudes and behaviors related to parenting, co-parenting, and employment change after participation in primary program services.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for father figures, including dads with children up to 24 years old living in Central Texas. Participants must be adults over the age of 18. It's not open to those under 18, living outside Central Texas, or without a child or if their child is older than 24.

Inclusion Criteria

I'm sorry, but "Father figure" is not a clinical trial exclusion criterion. It does not require a summary. Please provide a valid criterion.

I am 24 years old or younger.

You live in Central Texas.

Exclusion Criteria

I am over 24 years old.

Resides outside of Central Texas

I am under 18 years old.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Program Participation

Participants receive 26 hours of Nurturing Fathers curriculum, employment supports, case management, and financial literacy training

Varies based on individual needs

Combination of in-person and virtual sessions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in parenting, co-parenting, and employment attitudes and behaviors

12 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Fatherhood Works Program

Trial Overview The study is testing the Fatherhood Works Program delivered to participants either in-person or virtually. The goal is to see which format better improves the quality of the relationship between low-income fathers/father figures and their children.

Participant Groups

Group I: Fatherhood Works Program delivered in-person Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants receive 26 hours of Nurturing Fathers curriculum, delivered in person. Participants also receive employment supports, case management, and financial literacy training.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Midwest Evaluation & Research

Lead Sponsor

Trials

11

Recruited

11,700+

Goodwill of Central Texas

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

400+

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]

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 SafeCare® Dad to Kids (Dad2K) program, designed for at-risk fathers, showed high acceptability and satisfaction among participants, indicating its feasibility for behavioral parent training.

While both intervention and comparison groups reported decreases in psychologically aggressive behaviors, the Dad2K program specifically led to significant improvements in targeted father-child interaction skills, highlighting its potential to enhance positive parenting practices.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Initial Findings from a Feasibility Trial Examining the SafeCare Dad to Kids Program with Marginalized Fathers. Self-Brown, S., Osborne, MC., Lai, BS., et al.[2019]

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 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]

A parenting education program for first-time fathers of 5-month-old infants was perceived as useful, highlighting that fathers have different educational needs compared to mothers.

The program, which included videotaped self-modeling and feedback, showed that fathers who participated improved their interaction with their infants, suggesting its potential effectiveness in public health settings, although demographic factors did not predict which fathers benefited.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Strengthening new fathers' skills in interaction with their 5-month-old infants: who benefits from a brief intervention? Benzies, K., Magill-Evans, J., Harrison, MJ., et al.[2022]

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]

References

1. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Enhancing Father Engagement and Interparental Teamwork in an Evidence-Based Parenting Intervention: A Randomized-Controlled Trial of Outcomes and Processes. [2022]

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

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

3. 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]

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

An intervention to increase father involvement and skills with infants during the transition to parenthood. [2007]

5. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Keeping Parents Involved: Predicting Attrition in a Self-Directed, Online Program for Childhood Conduct Problems. [2020]

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

Initial Findings from a Feasibility Trial Examining the SafeCare Dad to Kids Program with Marginalized Fathers. [2019]

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

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

Strengthening new fathers' skills in interaction with their 5-month-old infants: who benefits from a brief intervention? [2022]

10. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Study protocol: evaluation of an online, father-inclusive, universal parenting intervention to reduce child externalising behaviours and improve parenting practices. [2022]

11. 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]