Strength at Home Program for Parent-Child Relationships

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: VISN 17 Center of Excellence

Disqualifiers: Major neurocognitive disorder, severe TBI

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 8

Duration: 8 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a program called Strength at Home Parents to determine if it can help veterans with PTSD reduce stress and improve interactions with their children. Participants will either join an 8-week group program via tele-health or receive regular VA parenting resources. Researchers aim to discover if the program is more effective than the usual VA resources and if the benefits persist over time. Veterans who are parents of children aged 3 to 12, experiencing PTSD symptoms, and facing challenges in their parent-child relationships might be suitable for this trial. As an unphased trial, this study offers veterans the chance to explore new ways to enhance parenting skills and improve family dynamics.

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

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

What prior data suggests that the Strength at Home Parents intervention is safe for improving parent-child relationships?

Research shows that the Strength at Home Parents program, designed with trauma awareness, improves parent-child interactions. Studies have found that most participants handle the program well. Past trials reported no major negative effects, indicating safety for participants. The program includes an 8-week online group session, which is less intrusive than many medical treatments. Participants can thus feel assured that the program is unlikely to cause harm. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

The Strength at Home Parents program is unique because it focuses on improving parent-child relationships by addressing issues related to family dynamics and communication, rather than just treating symptoms. Researchers are excited about this approach because it emphasizes building skills and resilience within the family, which can lead to more sustainable and long-term improvements in relationships. Unlike traditional treatments that might focus on individual therapy or medication, this program involves parents directly in the process, fostering a proactive and preventive strategy to strengthen family bonds.

What evidence suggests that the Strength at Home Parents program is effective for improving parenting stress and behaviors?

Research shows that the Strength at Home Parents program, which participants in this trial may receive, can help improve family relationships. Studies have found that it reduces harmful parenting habits and encourages positive ones. Participants in these studies reported better family life after completing the program. This approach supports veterans with PTSD in becoming better parents. The program aims to lower stress and strengthen parent-child bonds, and early results suggest it works well. ^{1 2 5 6 7}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for veterans enrolled at VA VISN 17 facilities who are parents to a child aged 3-12, living with them or spending at least two days per week together. They must have elevated PTSD symptoms and difficulties in parent-child functioning.

Inclusion Criteria

Elevated PTSD symptoms

Veterans enrolled in any VA VISN 17 facility

I have a child aged 3-12 who lives with me or visits at least two days a week.

Exclusion Criteria

I do not have a severe brain injury or condition affecting my understanding.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants in the intervention group complete an 8-week tele-health group program, while the control group receives access to VA parenting resources

8 weeks

8 virtual sessions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for parenting stress and behaviors, PTSD symptoms, and family functioning

24-32 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Strength at Home Parents

Trial Overview The trial compares the 'Strength at Home Parents' tele-health group program against usual VA treatments to see if it better reduces parenting stress and improves behaviors. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the program or control group receiving standard resources.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Strength at Home Parents Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Group II: VA treatment as usual Active Control 1 Intervention

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

VISN 17 Center of Excellence

Lead Sponsor

Trials

4

Recruited

660+

University of Texas at Austin

Collaborator

Trials

387

Recruited

86,100+

United States Department of Defense

Collaborator

Trials

940

Recruited

339,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

The parenting support programme successfully engaged 58 out of 60 invited Somali-born parents, demonstrating effective outreach and participation strategies, such as involving key community individuals and providing free transportation.

Participants reported increased knowledge about children's rights and available social services, indicating that the programme not only reached its audience but also positively impacted their understanding and support networks.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The implementation of a culturally tailored parenting support programme for Somali immigrant parents living in Sweden-A process evaluation. Osman, F., Schön, UK., Klingberg-Allvin, M., et al.[2022]

The Strength at Home - Parents (SAHP) intervention shows promise in improving parenting behaviors and parent-child functioning among veterans with PTSD, based on pilot data from 21 participants.

Participants reported improved family functioning, reduced dysfunctional parenting practices, and increased positive parenting practices, indicating the intervention's potential effectiveness, although results should be interpreted cautiously due to the small sample size.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pilot trial of Strength at Home Parents, a trauma-informed parenting support treatment for veterans. Creech, SK., Pearson, R., Saenz, JJ., et al.[2023]

The home-use DVD version of the Strengthening Families Program (SFP) demonstrated a significant improvement in program outcomes, outperforming traditional group norms in 13 out of 15 comparisons, with an average effect size increase of 28%.

This study suggests that delivering family-based interventions through affordable technology like DVDs can be as effective as traditional group classes, highlighting a potential cost-effective alternative for families and agencies.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Parenting Behavior Intervention (the Strengthening Families Program) for Families: Noninferiority Trial of Different Program Delivery Methods. Kumpfer, KL., Brown, JL.[2020]

The Parent-to-Parent program is a home-based initiative that provides long-term support to adolescent parents through trained volunteers, aiming to improve parent-child interactions and help parents access necessary services.

The program also focuses on increasing community involvement and empowering parents to plan for their futures, addressing the broader developmental needs often overlooked in traditional prenatal and neonatal care.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Community support for adolescent parents and their children: The parent-to-parent program in Vermont. Halpern, R., Covey, L.[2021]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9524484/

Pilot trial of Strength at Home Parents, a trauma-informed ... Movement on primary outcome measures suggested improved overall family functioning, a decrease in the use of dysfunctional parenting practices, an increase in ...

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865424001108

Protocol for a randomized clinical trial of strength at home ... Outcomes are measured at 4 timepoints including baseline. The primary outcome is parenting stress. We will also examine changes in parenting behaviors, whether ...

3. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-relation-parent-child-2-2024-42867

Strength at Home Program for Parent-Child Relationships Participants reported improved family functioning, reduced dysfunctional parenting practices, and increased positive parenting practices, indicating the ...

4. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/373931591_Trauma-informed_parenting_intervention_for_veterans_A_preliminary_uncontrolled_trial_of_Strength_at_Home-Parents

Trauma-Informed Parenting Intervention for Veterans Strength at Home - Parents (SAHP) is a trauma-informed parenting intervention which aims to improve parenting behaviors and overall parent-child ...

5. psycnet.apa.org psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2022-96607-002.html

Pilot trial of Strength at Home Parents: A trauma-informed ... Movement on primary outcome measures suggested improved overall family functioning, a decrease in the use of dysfunctional parenting practices, ...

6. air.org air.org/sites/default/files/Evaluation-Strength-at-Home-Intervention.pdf

An Evaluation of the Strength at Home Intervention The intervention helps strengthen interpersonal relationships between veterans and their romantic partners, family, and friends to reduce relational ...

7. psycnet.apa.org psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-08294-001

Trauma-informed parenting intervention for veterans Strength at Home–Parents (SAHP) is a trauma-informed psychotherapy group that aims to improve parenting behaviors and overall parent–child and family ...