T.E.C.H. Parenting for Substance Abuse

Overseen By Shimei Nelapati, MS

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Florida

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

120 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

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 T.E.C.H. Parenting treatment for substance abuse?

Research shows that parenting programs like the Nurturing Program and Safe Haven Program improve parenting skills and reduce substance use in families. These programs enhance parents' satisfaction and competence, and help reduce risks of child abuse and neglect, which suggests that similar approaches in T.E.C.H. Parenting could be effective. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How is the T.E.C.H. Parenting treatment for substance abuse different from other treatments?

The T.E.C.H. Parenting treatment is unique because it focuses on protective parenting strategies, such as providing warmth, trust, and emotional support, to reduce the risk of substance use in adolescents. This approach emphasizes the role of parents in prevention efforts, which is not typically the focus of standard substance abuse treatments. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

What is the purpose of this trial?

Entertainment media commonly depict SU, and youth exposure to media SU is linked to youth initiation and progression of SU behavior. Parenting practices reduce exposure to and may mitigate risk associated with media depictions of SU, thus this research proposal will build upon current understanding of effective media parenting with the end goal of developing and testing a media parenting intervention designed to reduce youth risk for SU.

Research Team

Joy Gabrielli

Principal Investigator

University of Florida

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for English-reading parents with internet and smartphone access, who have at least one child in middle school living with them. It aims to help these parents use media parenting techniques to prevent substance abuse in their children.

Inclusion Criteria

I have internet and a smartphone for online group participation.

You must have the ability to read and understand English at a 6th grade level.

I have a child in middle school living with me.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants enroll in a web-based psychoeducational group focusing on media parenting, with weekly push messages and online discussions.

6 weeks

Online participation with weekly activities

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in media parenting behavior and youth substance use risk.

3 months

Assessment at 3 months post-intervention

Treatment Details

Interventions

• General Positive Parenting
• T.E.C.H. Parenting

Trial Overview The study tests a new intervention called T.E.C.H. Parenting against general positive parenting advice. The goal is to see if specific media-related parenting strategies can reduce the risk of kids starting or escalating substance use.

Participant Groups

Group I: Intervention Arm - T.E.C.H. Parenting Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Intervention Arm participants will enroll in a web-based psychoeducational group (15 parents per group across 4 groups). Participants will receive psychoeducational information on media parenting, and they will be invited to participate in an online group discussion board to share their experiences with other parents in the intervention. In weeks 2-5, participants will learn about 4 domains of media parenting: 1) Talk to your child about media; 2) Educate your child about media-related risks; 3) Co-View/Co-Use media and technology actively with your child; and 4) establish House rules for media usage. Week 6 will review information and provide an "expert clinician" to support parent problem solving. Participants will receive 2-3 weekly push messages via text messaging prompting practice of skills learned in the group setting. Participants will be assessed at baseline, immediately following the 6 week intervention, and 3 months after the intervention is completed.

Group II: Control Arm - General Positive Parenting Active Control 1 Intervention

The Control Arm of the RCT is the attention control group. These participants will enroll in a web-based psychoeducational group (four groups of 15 parents each). They will receive 6 weeks of online psychoeducational material, including 2-3 push messages prompting skill practice. Parents will have access to an online discussion board to share experiences with other parents. This group will match the intervention arm of the study in number of study staff contacts, time of start/duration of the group, peer support, and availability of a professional in week six for consultation on parenting issues. Control participants will not receive information on media parenting. Participants in this group will be assessed at baseline, immediately following the six-week intervention period, and 3 months after intervention completion. Participants will be asked about exposure to TECH Parenting content at baseline and follow up to address potential contamination effects across study arms.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Florida

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,428

Recruited

987,000+

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Collaborator

Trials

2,658

Recruited

3,409,000+

Findings from Research

The Nurturing Program for Families in Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery effectively improves parenting skills and enhances parents' satisfaction and competence, as shown by objective scales and participant reports.

The program is grounded in principles that have been proven to reduce the risks of child abuse, neglect, and substance abuse for both parents and children, indicating its potential for long-term positive outcomes in affected families.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Parenting services for families affected by substance abuse. Moore, J., Finkelstein, N.[2004]

References

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

Parenting services for families affected by substance abuse. [2004]

2. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of a family skills training program for substance use prevention with inner city African-American families. [2022]

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

Effective Parenting Interventions to Reduce Youth Substance Use: A Systematic Review. [2022]

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

Parent psychopathology, parenting, and child internalizing problems in substance-abusing families. [2018]

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

Psychiatric, Family, and Ethnicity-Related Factors That Can Impact Treatment Utilization Among Hispanic Substance Abusing Adolescents. [2020]

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

The Mitigating Effects of Protective Parenting on Level of Adolescent Substance Use Risk. [2023]

7. Ireland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A randomized controlled trial and economic evaluation of the Parents Under Pressure program for parents in substance abuse treatment. [2022]

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

Parenting Interventions for Mothers With Problematic Substance Use: A Systematic Review of Research and Community Practice. [2021]

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

Brief Family-Based Intervention for Substance Abusing Adolescents. [2018]

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

Parental bonding in subjects with pathological gambling disorder compared with healthy controls. [2015]