Family Check-Up for Enhancing Parenting Skills

Overseen By Project Coordinator

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Oregon

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

Duration: 12 months

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

The trial aims to improve parenting skills for parents dealing with opioid misuse by focusing on positive changes that can prevent future substance use issues. It uses an online program called Family Check-Up Online, which offers tools and coaching to help parents enhance their parenting techniques and manage stress. Parents with children aged 18 months to 5 years who have struggled with substance misuse and have access to a smartphone are encouraged to participate. The goal is to support healthier family environments and reduce the risk of substance abuse in both parents and children over time. As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity for parents to access valuable resources and support to foster healthier family dynamics.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It focuses on enhancing parenting skills through an online program, so it's best to consult with the trial coordinators for specific guidance.

What prior data suggests that the Family Check-Up Online is safe for enhancing parenting skills?

Research shows that the Family Check-Up Online (FCU Online) is safe and well-received by participants. With over 25 years of research, the Family Check-Up approach has proven effective in improving parenting skills and reducing risky behaviors. Studies have found that using FCU Online, along with coaching, helps improve parenting skills and lowers caregiver stress. These results suggest that the tool is safe for families dealing with opioid misuse.

No major reports of negative effects have emerged from using the FCU Online method. The program focuses on boosting confidence in one's abilities, managing stress, and improving parenting through easy-to-access online resources and telehealth support. This makes it a low-risk option for participating families. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Family Check-Up (FCU) program because it offers a fresh approach to enhancing parenting skills through an online platform combined with telehealth coaching. Unlike traditional in-person parenting classes or therapy sessions, FCU provides a unique mix of convenience and tailored support with its online assessment and interactive tools, such as animated videos and parenting tips. This method allows parents to receive targeted feedback and practice skills in real-time, focusing on areas like positive parenting and supervision, all from the comfort of home. By integrating wellness and self-care into its coaching sessions, FCU stands out as a comprehensive resource designed to empower parents more effectively than some conventional methods.

What evidence suggests that the Family Check-Up Online is effective for enhancing parenting skills in families affected by opioid misuse?

Research has shown that the Family Check-Up Online (FCU Online), which participants in this trial may receive, helps parents improve their skills and confidence. Studies have found that it enhances parents' ability to support good behavior, set limits, and use proactive parenting techniques. With over 25 years of research backing it, major institutions recognize the Family Check-Up as an effective program for reducing risky behaviors and preventing substance use. The program aims to enhance communication, behavior management, and healthy routines, which are especially important for families dealing with opioid misuse. These improvements in parenting are believed to help prevent opioid misuse and related issues. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Elizabeth Stormshak, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Oregon

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for parents or legal guardians in rural Oregon with children aged 18 months to 5 years, who are willing to use a telehealth program aimed at improving parenting. Participants must have a smartphone and access to email, acknowledge binge drinking or drug use within the last year, or feel depressed recently.

Inclusion Criteria

I am a parent or guardian of a young child who lives with me most of the time.

Must have a smart phone with text messaging capability and access to email;

You have engaged in binge drinking and/or recreational drug use in the past year, have a history of prescription opioid use, or have felt very sad for the past two weeks.

Exclusion Criteria

N/A

must have a smart phone with text messaging capability and access to email

I live in Oregon and am a parent or guardian of a young child who lives with me at least half the time.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Feasibility Study

A 2-month feasibility study to test the adapted version of the FCU Online and refine intervention procedures and usability

8 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive the FCU Online intervention or services as usual, with telehealth coaching and support

12 months

Telehealth sessions as needed

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in parental stress, child social-emotional behavior, family conflict, and other outcomes

12 months

Data collection at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Family Check-Up

Trial Overview The study tests the Family Check-Up Online (FCU Online), designed to enhance parenting skills and prevent opioid misuse among parents. It involves coaching via telehealth and focuses on stress management, self-regulation, and building positive parent-child relationships.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: FCU Online + Coach Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Parents in this arm will receive access to the FCU Online website and telehealth coaching/ support provided by a trained mental health provider. The FCU Online website includes a brief 5-minute assessment, feedback on parents' responses, and online tools to support parenting in areas that were identified as challenges by the assessment. These tools include animated videos, parenting tips, and interactives to help practice parenting skills. Telehealth coaching will focus on Wellness and Self-Care, Parenting and Substance Use, Positive Parenting, Proactive Parenting, and Supervision and Limit Setting.

Group II: Waitlist Control Active Control 1 Intervention

Parents in this arm will initially serve as the control group but will receive access to the FCU Online website and telehealth coaching after completing four waves of data collection (baseline, 3-mo, 6-mo, and 12-mo follow-up).

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Oregon

Lead Sponsor

Trials

91

Recruited

46,700+

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Collaborator

Trials

2,658

Recruited

3,409,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

The Family Check-Up (FCU) intervention significantly reduces conduct problems in children, especially for those whose parents reported high levels of conduct problems at the start of the study, involving 731 mother-child dyads followed from ages 2 to 9.5.

The FCU not only decreased conduct problems but also improved positive interactions between parents and children, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing family dynamics regardless of the initial level of conduct problems.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of the Family Check-Up on reducing growth in conduct problems from toddlerhood through school age: An analysis of moderated mediation. Shelleby, EC., Shaw, DS., Dishion, TJ., et al.[2020]

The Family Check-Up (FCU) intervention, involving 593 ethnically diverse families, effectively reduced the escalation of adolescent problem behaviors, including family conflict, antisocial behavior, and alcohol use, during the transition to high school.

Youth whose parents participated in the FCU showed significantly lower rates of these problem behaviors compared to a matched control group, highlighting the importance of engaging families in interventions to support adolescent development.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Engaging parents in the family check-up in middle school: longitudinal effects on family conflict and problem behavior through the high school transition. Van Ryzin, MJ., Stormshak, EA., Dishion, TJ.[2021]

The Family Check-Up 4 Health (FCU4Health) program, tested on 240 pediatric patients with elevated BMI, showed significant improvements in parenting skills and child behavioral health within 6 months compared to usual care.

Improvements in parenting were linked to better child self-regulation, which subsequently led to reductions in conduct and emotional problems, indicating a positive chain reaction from the intervention.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effects of the Family Check-Up 4 Health on Parenting and Child Behavioral Health: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Primary Care. Berkel, C., Fu, E., Carroll, AJ., et al.[2021]

The DELFIN behavioral group training program significantly improved parenting behavior in conflict situations among parents of children with type 1 diabetes after 3 months, with effects remaining stable after 12 months.

Parents in the intervention group experienced reduced depression and anxiety scores, indicating potential psychological benefits, although the differences compared to the control group were not statistically significant.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reducing stress and supporting positive relations in families of young children with type 1 diabetes: a randomized controlled study for evaluating the effects of the DELFIN parenting program. Sassmann, H., de Hair, M., Danne, T., et al.[2021]

Citations

1. welcome.thefamilycheckup.com welcome.thefamilycheckup.com/fcu-online

Online Program The modules cover a range of topics, including communication skills, behavior management, positive parenting, and healthy routines. Each of the five modules ...

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885200624001364

Family Check-Up Online effects on parenting and ... The current study demonstrates the effectiveness of the FCU-O intervention for improving parent-reported parenting skills, parenting self-efficacy, and ...

3. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39430369/

Family Check-Up Online effects on parenting and ... - PubMed The FCU-O was associated with improvements to parents' support for positive behavior, limit-setting, and proactive parenting skills.

4. welcome.thefamilycheckup.com welcome.thefamilycheckup.com/sites/default/files/2025-06/FCU-Online-Overview.pdf

FCU® Online Overview The Family Check-Up involves assessment, feedback, and intervention support for families with the goal of increasing parenting skills and family relationships.

5. welcome.thefamilycheckup.com welcome.thefamilycheckup.com/parents

For Parents The Family Check-Up® is a strength-based intervention that offers parents simple, practical parenting skills and can be tailored to the specific strengths ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8294463/

The Family Check-Up Online: A Telehealth Model for ... An evidence-based program for reducing risk behavior, enhancing parenting skills, and preventing the onset of substance use.

7. link.springer.com link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11121-024-01725-3

Family Check-Up Online: Effects of a Virtual Randomized ... The FCU-O reduced caregiver stress and improved proactive parenting and limit setting but had no effects on youth outcomes.

8. welcome.thefamilycheckup.com welcome.thefamilycheckup.com/sites/default/files/2025-09/FCU-Model-Implementation-Overview.pdf

FCU® Model Overview and Implementation Support The Family Check-Up model is assessment-driven, strength-based, and tailored to improve family management practices (such as family routines and parenting ...