Improving Father-Child and Father-Partner Relationships Among Black and Hispanic Fathers

NCT05214898 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: UP-21-00532
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 350
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Fathers play a unique role in the lives of children, with high quality interactions found to improve a child's executive functioning and general school achievement. Father involvement also has positive impacts on fathers themselves, with more involved fathers reporting more self-confidence in their parenting, more satisfaction with parenting, demonstration of more maturity, and reports of less psychosocial distress. However, poverty can have a negative association with fathers parenting and child outcomes, though paternal warmth can mediate this relationship. Children's Institute Inc will recruit and implement the 24/7 Dad program which is designed to provide a comprehensive evidenced-based fatherhood program that builds and strengthens father-child relationships. The curriculum for the primary workshops will be the 24/7 Dad curriculum, which addresses both the responsible parenting and healthy relationship areas in this project. A quasi-experimental interrupted time series (ITS) design allows for a continuous sequence of observations on a population, taken repeatedly over time.

Conditions

Parent-Child Relations; Partner Communication; Parenting

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Father Engagement with Child

  Father Engagement Scale (Dyer et al. 2018). 10-item questionnaire measuring interactions between fathers and children

  3 months

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Relationship Conflict

  3 months

• Father-Child Relationship

  3 month

• Father Relationship with Co-Parent

  3 months

Study Arms (2)

Immediate Start

Investigators will use a quasi-experimental interrupted time series (ITS) design that allows for a continuous sequence of observations on a population, taken repeatedly over time (Bernal et al., 2017). ITS design provides an estimate of the causal effect of a discrete intervention; the design begins with measurements on a dependent variable and the intervention breaks ("interrupts") this time series into preintervention and post-intervention time points. Data will be collected from two group an "Immediate Start Group" and a "Delayed Start Group" (who will serve as a control group for the ITS design).

Behavioral: 24/7 Dad

Delayed-Start

Investigators will use a quasi-experimental interrupted time series (ITS) design that allows for a continuous sequence of observations on a population, taken repeatedly over time (Bernal et al., 2017). ITS design provides an estimate of the causal effect of a discrete intervention; the design begins with measurements on a dependent variable and the intervention breaks ("interrupts") this time series into preintervention and post-intervention time points. Data will be collected from two group an "Immediate Start Group" and a "Delayed Start Group" (who will serve as a control group for the ITS design).

Behavioral: 24/7 Dad

Interventions

24/7 Dad BEHAVIORAL

The 24/7 Dad curriculum is an evidence-based, skills driven curriculum (12 group sessions). The following topics are included: Family History, What it Means to Be a Man, Showing and Handling Feelings, Men's Health, Communication, The Father's Role, Discipline, Children's Growth, Getting Involved, Working with \& Co-Parenting, Dads and Work, and the "My 24/7Dad Checklist". Healthy Relationship topics include: Communication Skills, including expression, discussion, and negotiation skills; Conflict Resolution and Anger Management; Problem-Solving; and Knowledge of the Benefits of Marriage. Responsible Parenting areas of focus include: children's growth/development; non-violent discipline; co-parenting; building conflict resolutions skills (for the child and the family); and, enhancing family relationships.

Delayed-Start; Immediate Start

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Program eligibility will be open to all low-income fathers age 18 years or older with children under the age of 24 years. The target geographic area will be South LA, particularly the community of Watts, however participants will not be excluded based on geography. South LA is overwhelmingly Latino (68%) and Black (27%). Close to half (48%) of all residents speak Spanish at home. Nearly all residents are very low-income. We expect our participants to reflect the community in these dimensions.

You may qualify if:

• Male
• Age 18 years or older
• Have a child under the age of 24 years
• Speak English or Spanish

You may not qualify if:

• Unable to speak English or Spanish

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Southern California: lead
• The Children's Institute: collaborator
• Children's Bureau - Administration for Children and Families: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California, 90041, United States

Location

Study Officials

• Julie A Cederbaum, PhD

  University of Southern California

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE ONLY
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 16, 2021
• First Posted: January 31, 2022
• Study Start: April 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: June 15, 2025
• Study Completion: September 30, 2025
• Last Updated: June 5, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)