Being A Parent - Enjoying Family Life: researching a new group for parents and caregivers with significant emotional and interpersonal needs.
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN10950727 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN10950727 |
| EudraCT/CTIS number | Nil Known |
| IRAS number | 297116 |
| ClinicalTrials.gov number | Nil Known |
| Secondary identifying numbers | IRAS 297116 |
- Submission date
- 02/08/2021
- Registration date
- 14/09/2021
- Last edited
- 18/08/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Parenting interventions (programmes which support parents/caregivers with parenting skills) are the recommended mental health treatment for children under the age of 11 years and are highly effective at reducing child behaviour difficulties. Many of these parenting interventions for child behaviour do not consider the parent's own emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties. Research shows that parent/caregiver mental health impacts both parenting and the child's behavioural/emotional development, increasing risk for child behavioural/emotional difficulties. Many parents/caregivers who experience long-standing difficulties in coping with strong emotions and struggle to trust in relationships can also find it challenging to use consistent and positive parenting strategies, especially as many of these parents/caregivers have experience inconsistent relationships with their own parents. Parents and caregivers who experience long-standing emotional and relationship difficulties also face different barriers to accessing parenting support, including different parenting concerns, high levels of stress and adversity in their past or current lives, lack of social support and high levels of stigma and concerns about being judged. Therefore it is vital that we develop tailored, understanding parenting programmes for parents and caregivers with long-standing emotional and relationship challenges.
BaP-Enjoying Family Life is for parents and caregivers with long-standing emotional and/or relationship difficulties and who have children aged between 2-11 years with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. BaP-Enjoying Family Life is a new version of the well-established peer-led, group parenting programme, Empowering Parents Empowering Communities-Being a Parent (EPEC-BaP). BaP-Enjoying Family Life helps parents/caregivers understand and explore the impact of emotional wellbeing on parenting and provides skills to manage relationship conflict, strong feelings in parents/caregivers and their child(ren), and strengthen warm family relationships. Unlike EPEC-BaP, BaP-Enjoying Family Life is not currently part of routine care.
Our research study aims to see what parents and caregivers think about our new parenting programme compared to EPEC-BaP and the extent to which it helps them and their children. We also want to learn more about how best to use a method called a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) to study the impact and effectiveness of BaP-Enjoying Family Life. We are using a feasibility RCT method to compare our new parenting programme, BaP-Enjoying Family Life, with our standard EPEC-BaP parenting programme. By taking part, parents have a 50:50 chance of receiving BaP-Enjoying Family Life or EPEC-BaP.
Who can participate?
Parents and caregivers can sign up to the study themselves via an interest form. They will be given information about the study and asked to consent to take part. Parents and caregivers are eligible to take part if:
1. They look after a child aged 2-11 years who lives at home with you most of the time
2. This child experiences emotional and/or behavioural difficulties AND
3. The parent/caregiver experience long-standing difficulties with managing emotions and/or relationships (measured using a questionnaire after parents/caregivers have consented to take part).
Parents/caregivers who don't meet the criteria above will be informed of other local parenting support.
What does the study involve?
Parents/caregivers who are eligible and consent to take part in the study will complete a set of questionnaires and at-home interview with them and their child to get an understanding of their child's behaviour, their parenting and how things are for their family in general. These assessments will be completed before, immediately after and 6 months after attending the parenting group. Parents/caregivers will then be randomly allocated to either BaP-Enjoying Family Life or EPEC-BaP and be offered to attend the groups either online or in person. Both groups are run for 1hr 30 mins (Online)- 2 hours (in-person) weekly with a break in the middle to fit into the school terms. EPEC-BaP has 9 weekly sessions, whereas BaP-Enjoying Family Life has 10 weekly sessions.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Parents and caregivers participating in this trial will benefit from a high standard of parenting support intended to help them and their child. Parents/caregivers will still be able to receive support from other mental health/social services. There are no known risks to taking part in parenting interventions. Some of the questions may cause discomfort. Parents/caregivers can choose not to answer any questions and a researcher will be present to talk through any concerns or questions whilst parents complete the questionnaires. Parents/caregivers can choose not to participate in the study at any time.
Where is the study run from?
King’s College London, the Centre for Parent and Child Support (CPCS), and South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust (UK)
Who is funding the study?
1. King’s College London (UK)
2. South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2020 to July 2023
Who is the main contact?
Ellie Baker, ellie.baker@kcl.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
Centre for Parent and Child Support, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Michael Rutter Centre
De Crespigny Park
London
SE5 8AZ
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)203 228 2837 |
|---|---|
| Crispin.1.day@kcl.ac.uk |
Public
Department of Psychology
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
King’s College London
De Crespigny Park
London
SE5 8AF
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-9665-3406 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)203 228 2837 |
| ellie.baker@kcl.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Single center two arm parallel-group feasibility randomized controlled trial with a nested process evaluation |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Community |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet. |
| Scientific title | Feasibility randomised controlled trial of Being a Parent - Enjoying Family Life: a specialised intervention for parents and caregivers with significant emotional and interpersonal needs. |
| Study objectives | The study's primary aim is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the trial research methods and BaP-Enjoying Family Life intervention to support the development of a future definitive Randomised Controlled Trial. More specifically, the trial aims to: 1. Assess feasibility parameters for participant retention, recruitment, and BaP-Enjoying Family Life acceptability. 2. Examine trial methods viability, including randomisation. 3. Investigate parents/caregivers’ experience of the trial design, procedures and intervention experiences, and themes arising from BaP-Enjoying Family Life implementation, including: a. A fine grain understanding of parents/caregivers’ subjective, lived experiences and meaningful insights into trial design, research procedures and intervention condition b. the key themes derived from BaP-Enjoying Family Life facilitator and supervisor perspectives arising from intervention delivery and fidelity. 4. Obtain outcome variance estimates for future sample size calculation. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 30/07/2021, London- Camden and King's Cross Research Ethics committee (NHSBT Newcastle Blood Donor Centre, Holland Drive, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4NQ, UK; +44 (0) 207 104 8285; camdenandkingscross.rec@hra.nhs.uk), ref: 21/LO/0473 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Parents of children aged 2 - 11 who are concerned about their child's behaviour and who themselves have significant emotional and interpersonal difficulties, including those with a diagnosis of personality disorder. |
| Intervention | Seventy-two parent/caregiver participants recruited via community pathways will be randomised using a minimisation approach to either: (i) BaP-Enjoying Family Life or (ii) standard Empowering Parents Empowering Communities (EPEC)-Being a Parent. EPEC-Being a Parent is a well-established peer-led group-format parenting intervention consistent with NICE guidelines for parents/caregivers of children aged 2-11 years who report child behavioural problems. BaP-Enjoying Family Life is derived from the standard EPEC-Being a Parent programme and uses the same peer-led service delivery model. However BaP-Enjoying Family Life has been adapted for parents and caregivers who have significant emotional and interpersonal needs, focusing on the impact of emotional wellbeing on parenting and providing skills in emotion regulation, reflective function and managing relationship conflict. BaP-Enjoying Family Life consists of 10 two hour weekly sessions for 6-10 parents/caregivers with a weeks break in the middle to fit in with the local school terms. EPEC-Being a Parent consists of 9 two hour weekly sessions for 6-10 parents/caregivers also with a weeks break in the middle. Both groups use interactive activities in pairs/small groups and practical activities to complete at home, covering topics on parenting strategies, discipline and parent-child communication. BaP-Enjoying Family Life has additional adaptations which support parent emotion regulation and reflective function. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Feasibility outcome: 1. Rate of participant identification and retention, measured through structured record sheets. Clinical outcome: 2. Child behavioural problems, measured using the parent-report Eyberg Child Behaviours Inventory pre, post and at 6 months post intervention |
| Secondary outcome measures | Secondary feasibility outcomes are intervention acceptability, measured using a treatment acceptability rating scale administered post intervention. Secondary clinical outcomes are: 1. Parent/caregiver concerns about child behavioural and emotional difficulties, measured using the concerns about my child visual analogue scale at pre, post and 6 month post intervention. 2. Parenting behaviour measured using parent-report Arnold O'Leary Parenting Scale at pre, post and 6 month post intervention. 3. Quality and Quantity of cognitive stimulation and emotional support in the home environment, measured using the Home Observational Measurement of the Environment, an observational and structured interview assessment, at pre, post and 6 month post intervention. 4. Parent/caregiver Satisfaction, measured using the Kansas Parent Satisfaction Scale at pre, post and 6 month post intervention. 5.Parent/caregiver self efficacy, measured using the Brief Parent Self-efficacy Scale at pre, post and 6 month post intervention. 6. Parent/caregiver Reflective function, measured using the Parent reflective functioning questionnaire at pre, post and 6 month post intervention. 7. Parent/caregiver emotional functioning, measured using the Brief Adjustment Scale- 6 at pre, post and 6 month post intervention. 8. Group Cohesion, measured using the Group Cohesiveness Scale at post intervention. Qualitative interviews with a subsample of participants will also be conducted post-intervention to develop a fine grain understanding of trial and intervention experience and evaluate trial and intervention processes. |
| Overall study start date | 01/10/2020 |
| Completion date | 31/07/2023 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 72 parents/caregivers and 72 children. |
| Total final enrolment | 77 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Prent inclusion criteria: 1. Primary parental caregiver (self-report of substantial caregiving responsibility), including non-biological caregiver, for index child 2. Aged between 18 - 65 years 3. Persistent emotional and relationship difficulties, assessed by a score of ≥3 on the Structured Assessment of Personality- Abbreviated Scale 4. Caregiver must have proficient written and spoken English 5. Caregiver must have capacity to provide informed consent to participate. Index Child inclusion criteria: 6. Aged 2 - 11 years 7. Living with parents/caregiver 8. Caregiver reported behavioral difficulties |
| Key exclusion criteria | Parent exclusion criteria: 1. Presence of psychosis, significant brain injury and/or learning disability 2. Engaged in another structured parenting intervention or previous attendance to BaP-Enjoying Family Life/EPEC-Being a Parent group 3. Receiving inpatient mental health treatment 4. Caregiver pregnancy/breastfeeding 5. Family is subject to safeguarding proceedings to remove child from the home Index child exclusion criteria: 6. Presence of neurodevelopmental disorder and/or psychosis 7. Not residing with index parents/caregivers |
| Date of first enrolment | 04/10/2021 |
| Date of final enrolment | 10/10/2022 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
Michael Rutter Centre
De Crespigny Park
London
SE5 8AZ
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Hospital/treatment centre
R&D department, Room W1.08
Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN)
De Crespigny Park
London
SE5 8AF
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)207 848 0339 |
|---|---|
| slam-ioppn.research@kcl.ac.uk | |
| Website | http://www.slam.nhs.uk/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/015803449 |
University/education
Room 5.31, James Clerk Maxwell Building
57 Waterloo Road
London
SE1 8WA
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0) 2078483224 |
|---|---|
| reza.razavi@kcl.ac.uk | |
| Website | http://www.kcl.ac.uk/index.aspx |
|
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/0220mzb33 |
Funders
Funder type
University/education
Government organisation / Research institutes and centers
- Alternative name(s)
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London, IoPPN, King's College London, IoPPN
- Location
- United Kingdom
Government organisation / Local government
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/02/2026 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Dissemination of academic products will involve submission of peer-reviewed papers (to be made publicly available through open-access publication) and associated abstracts to relevant conferences, including scientific meetings of the British Psychological Society, Royal College of Psychiatrists, British and Irish Group for the Study of Personality Disorder (BIGSPD), and International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders (ISSPD). The trial protocol will also be published and made publicly available. The Centre for Parent and Child Support (SLaM NHS Foundation Trust) will lead dissemination of outputs for services. Managers and practitioners will be invited to in-service seminars in the dissemination phase of the trial. These meetings will aim to mobilise interest in workforce and service improvement, and build commitment for a subsequent full-scale RCT. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Dr. Crispin Day, Crispin.1.day@kcl.ac.uk. The anonymised data will be stored in a CSV file and will be available from the study completion date (30th September 2023) for 7 years, as is consistent with King’s College London GDPR policies. Access will be provided upon review of each request. Consent will need to be sought from participants for any additional research and analysis that exceeds existing participant consent. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol article | 18/11/2022 | 24/11/2022 | Yes | No | |
| Statistical Analysis Plan | version 2 | 09/12/2022 | 12/12/2022 | No | No |
| HRA research summary | 28/06/2023 | No | No |
Additional files
Editorial Notes
18/08/2025: The intention to publish date was changed from 01/02/2025 to 01/02/2026.
27/02/2024: The intention to publish date was changed from 01/02/2024 to 01/02/2025
11/07/2023: The contact confirmed the record is up to date.
11/01/2023: The recruitment start date has been changed from 20/08/2021 to 04/10/2021.
12/12/2022: SAP file uploaded.
24/11/2022: Publication reference added.
19/10/2022: The final enrolment number has been added.
05/08/2021: Trial's existence confirmed by London- Camden and King's Cross Research Ethics committee.
