Parenting Program for Trauma

((BPC) Trial)

Recruiting at 1 trial location

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Vermont

Disqualifiers: Psychosis, Depression, Suicidal, Homicidal, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 10 weeks

240 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests the Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum, designed to help parents address the effects of trauma across generations. The study focuses on parents in rural and diverse communities in Vermont and Connecticut. Participants will either follow the new parenting program or continue their usual parenting practices to assess the impact on families. This trial may suit parents involved with or at risk of involvement with the child welfare system. As an unphased trial, it offers parents a unique opportunity to contribute to research that could influence future parenting support programs.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. However, if you have active psychosis, you must be stabilized on medication to participate.

What prior data suggests that the Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum is safe?

Research has shown that the Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum (BPC) helps parents understand and manage trauma. This trauma-informed program teaches effective ways to handle trauma.

Studies have found that parents with trauma histories tolerate this program well. Participants in past studies did not report any major negative effects from joining the program.

The BPC educates parents on how trauma affects them and their children. It also offers useful skills and strategies for building healthy relationships. Overall, evidence suggests that the BPC provides a safe and supportive environment for parents seeking to improve their parenting skills in the context of trauma. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum (BPC) because it offers a fresh approach to helping parents manage trauma. Unlike traditional methods that often rely on therapy sessions or medication to address trauma-related issues, BPC provides a structured educational program that empowers parents with practical skills and strategies. This curriculum is designed to directly improve parenting practices, which can indirectly help children affected by trauma, making it a potentially transformative tool for families. The focus on proactive education and skill-building sets it apart from conventional treatments, sparking interest as a complementary approach to existing options.

What evidence suggests that the Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum is effective for trauma?

This trial will compare the Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum (BPC) with treatment as usual. Research has shown that trauma-informed parenting programs, like BPC, can greatly improve parenting skills and mental health for parents. These programs help parents address and heal from their trauma, leading to healthier family relationships. Specifically, trauma-informed methods help parents build stronger emotional connections with their children. Early results suggest that parents in these programs often feel less stressed and communicate better with their kids. Although specific studies on BPC are limited, positive results from similar programs offer hope for its success. ^{2 6 7 8 9}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for parents involved in or at risk of involvement with the child welfare system due to issues like child abuse and trauma. It's not suitable for those currently experiencing unmanaged psychosis, major depression, suicidal thoughts, or homicidal ideation.

Inclusion Criteria

Parents involved in, or at risk of involvement in, the child welfare system.

Exclusion Criteria

I am currently experiencing a major depressive episode.

I have psychosis that is not stable even with medication.

Active suicidal ideation

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants undergo the Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum (BPC) to improve child safety, permanency, and well-being, as well as adult well-being.

10 weeks

Weekly sessions

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for improvements in child safety, permanency, and well-being, as well as adult well-being.

up to 6 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum

Trial Overview The study tests the Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum (BPC), designed to help parents navigate trauma across generations. It's a randomized control trial conducted in diverse communities within Vermont and Connecticut.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: BPC Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Group II: Treatment as usual Active Control 1 Intervention

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Vermont

Lead Sponsor

Trials

283

Recruited

3,747,000+

University of Connecticut

Collaborator

Trials

194

Recruited

162,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

The Parenting-STAIR intervention, which combines skills training and narrative therapy, was delivered to 111 mothers in New York City, showing promising results in reducing maternal PTSD and improving parenting skills, with 70 mothers completing the treatment.

Statistically significant improvements were observed in maternal PTSD, depression, parenting stress, and child behaviors, indicating that Parenting-STAIR may be a feasible and effective approach for supporting mothers in the child welfare system.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Feasibility and Preliminary Impact of a Community-Based Intervention for Maternal PTSD and Parenting: Parenting-STAIR Pilot. Sullivan, KS., Ancharski, K., Wortham, W., et al.[2023]

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]

Children who experience early trauma often face significant negative effects on their biological, emotional, social, and cognitive development, highlighting the need for effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Child-parent psychotherapy (CPP) is an evidence-based intervention that effectively reduces symptoms of traumatic stress in young children and helps restore their normal developmental progress, making it a valuable approach for mental health programs serving traumatized families.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Giving voice to the unsayable: repairing the effects of trauma in infancy and early childhood. Lieberman, AF., Van Horn, P.[2018]

The SafeCare© model, an 18-session behavioral parenting program, showed small to medium improvements in positive parenting behaviors and reduced parenting stress among 288 caregivers compared to usual services, indicating its efficacy in enhancing parenting skills.

Despite the positive outcomes, SafeCare did not significantly reduce indicators of neglect, suggesting that while it can improve certain parenting practices, additional strategies may be needed to address neglectful behaviors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of the SafeCare© intervention on parenting outcomes among parents in child welfare systems: A cluster randomized trial. Whitaker, DJ., Self-Brown, S., Hayat, MJ., et al.[2021]

Citations

1. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190740923001986

Feasibility of the NCTSN breakthrough parenting curriculum A new curriculum teaching parents trauma-informed strategies to address and resolve their own trauma while supporting healthy attachment.

2. ideas.repec.org ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v150y2023ics0190740923001986.html

Feasibility of the NCTSN breakthrough parenting curriculum The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to describe preliminary outcomes from a pilot evaluation of a new curriculum teaching parents trauma-informed ...

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1551714425000576

Protocol for a hybrid type 1 randomized clinical trial of a ... This study uses a hybrid Type 1 multi-site randomized clinical trial (RCT) to assess BPC's effectiveness in settings in rural and urban populations.

4. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/385299574_The_Effectiveness_of_Trauma-Informed_Parenting_Programs_for_Traumatized_Parents_and_Their_Components_A_Meta-Analytic_Study

(PDF) The Effectiveness of Trauma-Informed Parenting ... This study aimed to examine the overall effect of trauma-informed parenting programs on (a) parenting and (b) parental mental health outcomes by conducting two ...

5. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39463198/

The Effectiveness of Trauma-Informed Parenting Programs ... This study aimed to examine the overall effect of trauma-informed parenting programs on (a) parenting and (b) parental mental health outcomes ...

6. bpcstudy.org bpcstudy.org/

Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum A 10 week long class which is part of a research study for parents who went through childhood trauma and now want help raising their own kids.

7. learn.nctsn.org learn.nctsn.org/course/view.php?id=609

Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum: Navigating Trauma ... The BPC educates parents about the impact of trauma on themselves and their children, while providing information, skills and strategies for understanding, ...

8. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/318407212_Trauma-informed_resource_parent_training_and_the_impact_on_knowledge_acquisition_parenting_self-efficacy_and_child_behavior_outcomes_A_pilot_of_the_RPC

Trauma-informed resource parent training and the impact ... Feasibility of the NCTSN Breakthrough Parenting Curriculum: A pilot study of an online trauma-informed training for birth parents involved in the child welfare ...

9. acf.gov acf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/OPRE_beyond_checking_the_box_sept2023.pdf

How Participating in a Breakthrough Series Collaborative ... Before participating in the FCL BSC, Denver Human Services followed state mandates to locate and contact fathers through a family search and engagement team.