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RecruitingNAINTERVENTIONAL

Adaptation and Pilot Testing of Web and Mobile Interface for the ATTACH™ Intervention

This study is about making a successful parenting support programme, called ATTACH™, available online. The programme helps parents who are dealing with difficult life challenges, such as depression, addiction, family violence, or poverty, to improve their children's mental, emotional, and behavioural health. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many families were worried about attending in-person appointments. This project uses a team of experts in nursing and software design to create easy-to-use and secure websites and mobile apps for delivering the ATTACH™ programme. The goal is to make sure vulnerable families can still get safe and effective support, adapting the programme to be accessible from home and test it with real parents and healthcare workers to ensure it works well.

At a glance

Status
Recruiting
Phase
NA
Sponsor
University of Calgary
Enrolment target
100
Start
15 Mar 2021
Estimated completion
31 Dec 2027
DepressionAddictionDomestic ViolencePoverty

What is this study about?

This research project focuses on making a valuable parenting programme called ATTACH™ available online. The ATTACH™ programme is designed to help parents who are going through challenging times – such as dealing with depression, addiction, family violence, or financial difficulties – to better support their children's mental and emotional health and development. The programme helps improve the relationship between parents and children.

The idea for this online version came about because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many parents who needed support were worried about attending appointments in person, either at home or in clinics, because they feared catching the virus. To overcome this, a team of experts from different fields, including nursing and software development, decided to create safe, secure, and easy-to-use online tools, like websites and mobile apps, to deliver this programme directly to families in their homes.

This project will involve several steps: first, adapting the existing in-person ATTACH™ programme for online delivery; second, developing the actual online platforms and tools; and third, testing these tools with parents and healthcare professionals who deliver the programme. The main goal is to make sure that even more families can access this important support to help their children thrive, especially when traditional face-to-face support is difficult to get.

Key takeaways

  • This study helps make successful parenting support available online.
  • It's for parents dealing with challenges like depression, addiction, or poverty.
  • The goal is to improve children's mental and emotional health.
  • You'll help test and shape new online tools (websites, apps).
  • It aims to provide flexible and safe support from home.
  • Your feedback is vital to make the programme work well for families.

Who may be eligible?

To be part of this study, you would need to be a parent with children between birth and about two and a half years old (32 months). This age range is important because the tools used to check children's health and development are designed for this specific age group.

You should also be willing to take part in the ATTACH™ programme itself. This involves attending parenting sessions, usually 10 to 12 one-hour sessions, once a week. If possible, you'd be asked to have a co-parent or another important adult join you for a couple of these sessions.

Finally, for those taking part through agencies in Calgary, Canada, you and your children would need to agree to provide a dried blood sample. This helps researchers understand certain aspects of health. The study is open to parents of any gender.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

  1. I am a parent with a child between birth and 32 months old (about 2.5 years).
  2. I am willing to attend 10-12 weekly, one-hour parenting sessions.
  3. I can try to have another adult join for 2-3 sessions, if possible.
  4. I am comfortable providing a dried blood sample for myself and my child (if registering through a Calgary agency).
Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

Taking part in this study means you'll be helping to develop and test an online version of the ATTACH™ parenting programme. Initially, you might be involved in discussions (focus groups) with researchers and healthcare providers. These discussions aim to figure out the best way to design the online tools, like websites and apps, and what content should be included.

After the design phase, you could be asked to test out early versions of these online tools. This 'pilot test' involves using the websites or apps for the ATTACH™ sessions, which typically run for 10-12 weeks, with one hour-long session per week. Your feedback during these sessions will be crucial for refining and improving the online programme. The total duration of your active participation, including design input and testing, would depend on which part of the study you join, but the core programme is about 2-3 months.

Potential risks and benefits

A potential benefit of joining this study is that it offers a way to access valuable parenting support from the ATTACH™ programme, potentially from the comfort and safety of your own home, which could help your child's development and well-being. Your involvement also directly helps shape an important new online resource for more families in the future. As this is a design and testing study, there are no new medications involved. Potential risks are generally low, mainly related to the time commitment for sessions and discussions, and possibly some discomfort during discussions about sensitive topics, though efforts will be made to ensure a supportive environment. For those in Calgary agencies, there's the minor discomfort of a dried blood sample. You are always free to withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason, and your decision will not affect your care.

Locations (1)

  • University of Calgary
    Verified postcode
    Calgary, Canada· Recruiting

Common questions

What is the ATTACH™ programme?

It's a parenting programme designed to help improve children's mental and emotional health by strengthening the parent-child relationship, especially for families facing tough challenges.

Why is this programme being put online?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear that many families needed support but couldn't attend in-person sessions safely or comfortably, so an online option was developed.

Who is developing these online tools?

A team of experts in nursing and software engineering are working together to create secure and easy-to-use websites and mobile apps for the programme.

Will I have to travel for this study?

The whole point of this study is to make the ATTACH™ programme available online, so the goal is for you to be able to access it from home, reducing the need for travel.

Is my personal information safe with the online programme?

Yes, part of the study's aim is to develop platforms that are safe, secure, and user-friendly, ensuring your privacy is protected.

How to find out more

Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.

Interested in taking part?

Register your interest

Share your details and the research team for "Adaptation and Pilot Testing of Web and Mobile Interface for…" will contact you if you may be eligible. Always speak to your GP before agreeing to take part.

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