Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a parent training program for shift workers working in Macau integrated holiday resorts who are parents of young children.
Who can participate?
Shift workers working in integrated holiday resorts in Macau, with children aged 2 to 7 years
What does the study involve?
Participants are randomly allocated to the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group participants attend an 8-week parent training program (1 two-hour session per week). The program includes topics such as strategies to enhance the parent-child relationship, strategies to help children regulate their emotion, strategies to increase positive behaviour and strategies to manage misbehaviour. Those in the control group attend the parent training program upon the completion of the program by the intervention group participants.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
It is expected that there will be a decrease in child behavior problems, parental stress and dysfunctional parenting strategies, as well as an increase in use of emotion coaching strategies among the intervention group participants after participation in the program. The risk of participating is anticipated to be minimal. Should any participants become distressed about parenting issues during the program, the facilitators on site (psychologists or social workers) will offer support and discuss referral for follow-up services where needed.
Where is the study run from?
The study will be conducted in three integrated resort centres in Macau. The program will be delivered by social workers from YMCA in Macau, under the supervision of educational psychologists and social workers from Heep Hong Society in Hong Kong.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
April 2018 to December 2019
Who is funding the study?
Galaxy Entertainment Group Foundation (Hong Kong)
Who is the main contact?
Stanley Chan
Trial website
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
N/A
Study information
Scientific title
"Happy Parenting Program" Macau version for parents who work on shifts: a randomized controlled trial
Acronym
Study hypothesis
Parents who attended the "Happy Parenting Program" Macau version for parents who work on shifts will report lower child behavior problems, lower parental stress and less use of dysfunctional parenting strategies and increase in use of emotion coaching than the control group parents.
Ethics approval
Human Subjects Ethics Sub-committee of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 03/10/2018
Study design
Randomized controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised controlled trial
Trial setting
Other
Trial type
Prevention
Patient information sheet
Not available in web format, please contact Stanley Chan (stanleychan@heephong.org) to request a participant information sheet
Condition
Child behavior problems
Intervention
Eligible participants who can be released from work by their department/division supervisors will be randomized into intervention and waitlist controlled groups. Stratified randomization will be used and participants are stratified by department/division and random allocation is made within these sub-groups.
Participants assigned to the intervention group will attend an 8-session parent training program and the waitlist control group will attend the program after the intervention group has completed the program.
The parent training program consists of 8 two-hour sessions, and covers topics including strategies to enhance parent-child relationship, strategies to help children regulate their emotion, strategies to increase positive behaviour and strategies to manage misbehaviour. It is expected that participants will meet once per week over 8 weeks. There is no follow-up beyond the 8-week program.
Intervention type
Behavioural
Phase
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
Child behavior problems measured by Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory at 1 week prior to program and commencement (baseline) and then at the end of the last session
Secondary outcome measures
Measured at 1 week prior to program and commencement (baseline) and then at the end of the last session:
1. Parenting stress measured by Parenting Stress Index
2. Dysfunctional parenting strategies measured by Parenting Scale
3. Emotion coaching measured by Emotion-Related Parenting Styles
Overall trial start date
01/04/2018
Overall trial end date
31/12/2019
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Parents of a child with normal development aged between 2 and 7
2. Parents are currently living together with their child in Macau
3. Parents are shift workers in three integrated holiday resorts in Macau
4. Parents are able to read Chinese
Participant type
Other
Age group
Adult
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
128
Total final enrolment
155
Participant exclusion criteria
Participants with children with developmental disabilities
Recruitment start date
01/11/2018
Recruitment end date
07/12/2018
Locations
Countries of recruitment
Macao
Trial participating centre
Heep Hong Society
Unit J-L, 10/F, MG Tower, 133 Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong
Kowloon
-
Hong Kong
Funders
Funder type
Charity
Funder name
Galaxy Entertainment Group Foundation
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
It is expected that the results will be submitted to refereed international journals for publication.
IPD sharing statement
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not expected to be made available and will be held for 5 years after publication in Heep Hong Society.
Intention to publish date
31/12/2020
Participant level data
Not expected to be available
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list