Testing the effectiveness of the Parents Plus Pathways programme for parents of adolescents with disabilities
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN31917713 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN31917713 |
- Submission date
- 29/04/2020
- Registration date
- 06/05/2020
- Last edited
- 06/05/2020
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Parents who have adolescents with intellectual disability often have additional needs and higher levels of stress. Despite this, there are no current parenting programmes specifically designed for this population. The aim of this study is to test whether a Parents Plus programme designed for these parents improves their adolescents’ behavioural and emotional difficulties, improves their parenting and family adjustment and increases their parenting confidence and satisfaction. The researchers also hope to test whether it helps parents achieve the goals they have for themselves and their adolescent.
Who can participate?
Parents who have an adolescent with an intellectual disability who are linked in with participating Irish disability services
What does the study involve?
The study involves completing questionnaires on three different occasions and taking part in an eight-week parenting programme. Participants may be asked to complete the questionnaires twice before they do the programme, and once afterwards, or once before and twice afterwards.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The benefit of taking part is that parents may learn new skills and meet other parents who can help them meet their goals for their child and family. The risk is that this will not happen. There are no additional risks for completing the questionnaires, but it will take up some time.
Where is the study run from?
The study is being co-ordinated by Parents Plus and the School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
September 2018 to September 2020
Who is funding the study?
Parents Plus (Ireland)
Who is the main contact?
1. John Sharry
John@parentsplus.ie
2. Charlotte Wilson
cewilson@tcd.ie
Contact information
Public
Parents Plus
Mater Hospital
Eccles Street
Dublin
D07 R2WY
Ireland
| Phone | +353 (0)1 854 5185 |
|---|---|
| john@parentsplus.ie |
Scientific
School of Psychology
Aras an Phiarsaigh
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin
D02 PD91
Ireland
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-0800-153X |
|---|---|
| Phone | +353 (0)1 896 3237 |
| cewilson@tcd.ie |
Study information
| Study design | Wait-list randomised controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Other |
| Study type | Treatment |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet. |
| Scientific title | Parents Plus Pathways programme: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial |
| Study objectives | The Parents Plus Pathways Programme will positively impact parenting behaviour, adolescent behaviour, parenting satisfaction and confidence, and parents will meet their personally set goals compared to a waitlist control group. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 10/06/2019, Trinity College Dublin School of Psychology ethics committee (School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; +353 (0)1 896 3907; psycheth@tcd.ie), ref: SPREC042019-01 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Behavioural and emotional difficulties |
| Intervention | Wait-list randomised controlled trial with a 3-month follow-up period for the intervention group. Disability services that registered to complete the training in the intervention were randomised to an immediate intervention group and a waitlist control group. No masking or blinding was possible. The randomisation was completed by a researcher who had no knowledge of the services involved. The study was facilitated centrally through Parents Plus and Trinity College Dublin, but the intervention took place in 24 different sites. The intervention being tested is the Parents Plus Pathways Programme for parents of adolescents with intellectual or developmental disabilities. This is an 8-week group programme. It covers strategies for managing behaviour in adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities through positive parenting strategies, and strategies for managing being a parent in that context. Each group session is 1.5 hours long and covers a strategy for managing adolescent behaviour and a strategy for managing as a parent. The control group was a waitlist group who were offered the group after the intervention group programme ended. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. Problem behaviours, prosocial behaviours, and emotional difficulties measured using the CAPES (Child Adjustment and Parental Efficacy Scale) 2. Parenting behaviours and family adjustment measured using the PAFAS (Parent and Family Adjustment Scale) Measured at pre-intervention, post-intervention and 3-month follow up for intervention group, and at baseline and two months later (pre-intervention) and two months following this (post-intervention) for waitlist-control group |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Parental self-efficacy measured using the CAPES 2. Parental satisfaction measured using the Kansas Satisfaction Scale 3. Parent goals for self and parent goals for child measured using the Parents Plus goal setting procedure Measured at pre-intervention, post-intervention and 3 month follow up for intervention group, and at baseline and 2 months later (pre-intervention) and 2 months following this (post-intervention) for waitlist-control group. |
| Overall study start date | 01/09/2018 |
| Completion date | 01/09/2020 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Carer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 24 services expressed an interest. Each service was required to run one group. Each group was ideally between 5 and 12 participants. This would lead to a sample size of between 120 and 288. This was sufficient to find a small effect size. |
| Key inclusion criteria | There were two types of inclusion criteria. Parents who were eligible to take part were determined by each service. The researchers instructed services that the programme was for parents of adolescents with intellectual or developmental disabilities. However, as it was a pragmatic trial they left it up to services to determine individual eligibility. They would suggest that it was: 1. A parent of an adolescent (aged 12-20) with an intellectual or developmental disability 2. A parent who is willing and able to attend 8 group sessions Service inclusion criteria included: 1. A service whose clients were children, adolescents and/or young adults with intellectual disabilities and/or developmental disabilities 2. A service who had two practitioners who could attend training 3. A service who was willing to take part in the evaluation and request and collect data from parents |
| Key exclusion criteria | There were no official exclusion criteria. Each service was requested to invite suitable participants and therefore the exclusion criteria were left up to individual services. |
| Date of first enrolment | 18/06/2019 |
| Date of final enrolment | 20/01/2020 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Ireland
- Northern Ireland
- United Kingdom
Study participating centres
Galway
H91 KN20
Ireland
Chapel Gate
Ballincollig
Cork
P31 EP26
Ireland
Dunmanway
Cork
P47 PD89
Ireland
Beaumont
Dublin 9
Dublin
D09 VY30
Ireland
Western Parkway Business Park
Ballymount Drive
Dublin 12
Dublin
D12 HP70
Ireland
Old Bray Road
Cabinteely
Dublin 18
Dublin
D18 KX60
Ireland
Cork
T12 YR2P
Ireland
Dublin 8
Dublin
D08 DH31
Ireland
Navan Road
Dublin 7
Dublin
D07 E4EK
Ireland
Dublin 6
Dublin
D6W TX36
Ireland
Curragh Road
Kildare
R51 RX51
Ireland
Balgaddy
Lucan
Co Dublin
K78 R9C9
Ireland
Johnstown
Co. Meath
Navan
C15 W303
Ireland
Middle Glanmire Road
Montenotte
Cork
T23 PT93
Ireland
Dún Na Carraige
Blackrock
Salthill
Galway
H91 R254
Ireland
Dublin 11
Dublin
D11 VK64
Ireland
Palmerstown
Dublin 20
Dublin
D20 DV79
Ireland
Ballycallan Road
Kilkenny
R95 DK07
Ireland
Bryan S. Ryan Building
Main Road
Tallaght
Dublin
D24 HH7F
Ireland
Bretten Hall
Bush Road
Antrim
Belfast
BT41 2RL
United Kingdom
Newcastle West
Limerick
V42 E248
Ireland
Glencar
Letterkenny
F92 CDC0
Ireland
High Road
Letterkenny
F92 TX3X
Ireland
Sponsor information
Charity
Mater Hospital
Eccles Street
Dublin
D07 R2WY
Ireland
| Phone | +353 (0)1 854 5185 |
|---|---|
| info@parentsplus.ie | |
| Website | https://www.parentsplus.ie |
Funders
Funder type
Charity
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 11/05/2020 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | The researchers intend to submit a paper with the main results in May 2020. They intend to publish final results (including the impact of the intervention on the waitlist control group in Autumn 2020. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from Charlotte Wilson (cewilson@tcd.ie). Data files with fully anonymised data, both raw data and subscales for each measure (CAPES, PAFAS, KSS, Goals) along with some basic demographic data (age of child and parent, gender of child and parent, number of children with disabilities in the family, diagnoses) will be available from Summer 2021 for at least 10 years (indefinitely if it is possible to formally archive). Data will be made available to researchers who have ethical approval to conduct studies that are in line with the original aims of the study. Consent from participants has been given for this, and none of the data will be identifiable. |
Editorial Notes
06/05/2020: Trial's existence confirmed by Trinity College Dublin School of Psychology ethics committee.
