DadSpace: Increasing Community Support Resources for Perinatal Fathers

NCT05063448 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: 1754
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The project is aimed at meeting the support needs of community fathers who are expecting a baby or who have recently had a baby. This work is being conducted in conjunction with community partners through The Women's Clinic of Northern Colorado (WCNC). Researchers and WCNC staff will work together to develop and implement programs for prenatal and postpartum fathers. Participants will be invited to a group mentoring program and also will be provided access to supplementary educational podcasts focused on topics relevant to prenatal and postpartum fathers. The investigators are seeking to understand what participants like and don't like about the program and how participation in the program affects participants' stress, well-being, and parenting.

Conditions

Paternal Behavior; Father-Child Relations; Family Relations

Keywords

Perinatal

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (8)

• Change in Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory

  This 19-item abbreviated version of the inventory assesses accurate knowledge of infant development. The first 11 items are rated as true or false and include questions such as "Babies may cry for 20-30 minutes at a time, no matter how much you try to comfort them" and "Some parents do not bond until their baby starts to smile and look at them." An additional 6 items ask parents to rate whether they think babies can do something at the age listed in the item or whether the developmental task (e.g., "Six-month-olds know what 'no' means.") occurs in younger or older children. Two additional items ask respondents to choose the best way to respond to potentially stressful infant behaviors (breaking things and fussing at night). Item responses are scored as correct or incorrect with percent correct as the final measure.

  Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

• Change in Self-Perceptions of the Parental Role-Competence Scale

  A 6-item measure of feelings of efficacy/competence in the parental role. Items are weighted on a range from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating higher confidence in the parental role, a better outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 4 to 24.

  Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

• Change in Social Network Questionnaire-Satisfaction Scale

  7 yes/no items on satisfaction with the support received from one's social network. More "yes" answers indicates lower satisfaction with the social network, a worse outcome. Scores are reverse-scored and totaled with a possible range from 0 to 7 so that higher scores indicate more satisfaction.

  Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

• Change in Role Conflict Scale

  2 subscales that assess work conflict with family life, family life conflict with work, and work-family balance. Item values range from 1 to 6. Higher scores indicate a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range of 8 to 48.

  Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

• Change in Perceived Stress Scale

  10 items related to anxiety, stress, and coping with upsets. Items values range from 0 to 4 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 0 to 40.

  Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

• Change in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale

  10 items that measure core features of postnatal depression. Item values range from 0 to 3 with a higher score indicating higher depressive symptoms, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a possible range from 0 - 30.

  Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

• Change in Spielberger State Anxiety Scale (Short Form)

  10 items assessing feelings of upset and anxiety versus contentment at the present time. Item values range from 1 to 4 with a higher score indicating higher state anxiety, a worse outcome. Scores are totaled with a total possible range from 6 to 24.

  Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

• Change in Coparenting Relationship Scale - Brief

  13 items assessing coparent collaboration versus conflict related to child rearing. Items values range from 0 to 6 with higher scores indicating a better coparenting relationship. Items are totaled with a possible range from 0 - 72.

  Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Change in Pearlin Mastery Scale

  Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

• Change in Paternal Postnatal Attachment Scale

  Every 4 weeks up to 16 weeks, including pre-intervention, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up

Other Outcomes (7)

• Attendance

  Measured across the 8 weeks of intervention delivery with one session offered per week.

• Facilitator Fidelity to Protocol

  Measured across the 8 weeks of intervention delivery

• Helpfulness of Information Sources

  Measured at posttest, 8 weeks after pretest.

Study Arms (1)

DadSpace Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will take part in a 12-hour educational discussion-based mentoring program intervention over 8 weeks. The intervention will be facilitated by a trained father facilitator and will include education and support on topics relevant to perinatal fathers. Topics include father identity, stress management, infant development, co-parenting, masculinity and caregiving, healthy communication, and work-life balance. Participants will additionally have access to a brief educational podcast series on related topics. Participants will also be invited to monthly follow-up daddy/baby drop-in groups.

Behavioral: DadSpace

Interventions

DadSpace BEHAVIORAL

A group educational support and mentoring program for perinatal fathers.

DadSpace Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Gender Eligibility Details: If participant identifies as male or as a father, whether or not participant is biologically male, participant may be included in the study.
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Participants must be expecting a baby or have a baby less than one year of age and planning to take the DadSpace mentoring program.

You may not qualify if:

• Non-English speaking

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Colorado State University: lead
• Colorado Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Colorado State University

Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523-1570, United States

Location

Limitations and Caveats

We were not able to recruit sufficient participants to have a wait-list comparison group, as originally intended. All outcomes should therefore be considered only exploratory in nature and not conclusive of intervention effectiveness.

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Stephanie Rayburn
• Organization: Colorado State University

Stephanie.Rayburn@colostate.edu

970-988-6306

Study Officials

• Julie Braungart-Rieker, PhD

  Colorado State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Department Head and Professor

Model Details: Perinatal father support primary intervention is small group mentoring program (with pre/post test data) run by educators at The Women's Clinic (TWC). Participants who sign up for the program early enough will be provided surveys approximately 1 month prior to the intervention start to provide a non-randomized wait-list comparison. Participants will additionally have access to follow-up daddy/baby drop-in groups and a podcast series and may be provided satisfaction surveys for both.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 8, 2021
• First Posted: October 1, 2021
• Study Start: August 6, 2021
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2022
• Study Completion: December 31, 2022
• Last Updated: December 2, 2025
• Results First Posted: December 2, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)