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NCT Number: NCT07816445

Pilot Study of an Interparental Conflict Intervention for Separating or Divorcing Parents

This pilot study will evaluate a new intervention for parents who are separated or divorced and have been court ordered to participate in a program addressing interparental conflict. The intervention is designed to teach parents skills to reduce children's exposure to conflict between parents and support children's well-being. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the new intervention or an existing court-based program. The study will examine the feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and usability of the new intervention and its effects on interparental conflict, parents' use of protective skills, and children's mental health.

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Key information

Age range

88 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona, 85287, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Karey L O'Hara, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

480-727-3623

About this study

This study is a randomized pilot trial of a new, scalable intervention for separating or divorcing parents experiencing interparental conflict. The intervention was developed by adapting components of existing evidence-based interventions using human-centered design methods. The intervention is designed to teach parents skills for reducing children's exposure to interparental conflict and protecting children's mental health and well-being.

Approximately 94 parents who are court ordered to participate in an intervention addressing interparental conflict will be randomly assigned to either the new intervention or an existing court-based program. The new intervention is expected to include an orientation session followed by three or four digital sessions. The pilot study will evaluate implementation outcomes, including feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, and usability, as well as preliminary effects on interparental conflict and children's internalizing and externalizing problems. The study will also examine parents' use of skills intended to protect children from interparental conflict and interpersonal violence and parents' emotion-regulation skills.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Fluent in English
  • Court ordered to attend an intervention to reduce interparental conflict

Exclusion criteria

None

Treatment and study plan

Family COMPASS

Behavioral

Family COMPASS (Conflict Management through Purposeful Awareness, Strategies, and Support) is a manualized, trauma-informed parenting intervention designed to reduce children's exposure to interparental conflict following parental separation or divorce. The intervention consists of four highly structured, approximately 30-minute sessions delivered virtually or in person by trained personnel. It focuses on strengthening parents' emotion regulation, communication, co-parenting, conflict management, and safety planning skills.

Families in Transition (FIT)

Behavioral

FIT is a 90-minute online parent education program developed by the Superior Court of Maricopa County in collaboration with the National Center for State Courts. The program includes four modules, a film, and interactive activities. It validates parents' difficult feelings toward their co-parent while emphasizing behavior change to protect children from interparental conflict. Content addresses the effects of interparental conflict on children, prioritizing children's needs, developing a child-focused vision for the future, and using practical strategies to reduce conflict behaviors.

Primary outcomes

  1. Child Anxiety Symptoms

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported child anxiety symptoms assessed using the Anxiety subscale of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-25 Parent Version (RCADS-25-P). The Anxiety subscale contains 15 items rated from 0 (Never) to 3 (Always). Raw scores range from 0 to 45, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety symptoms.

  2. Child Depressive Symptoms

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported child depressive symptoms assessed using the Depression subscale of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-25 Parent Version (RCADS-25-P). The Depression subscale contains 10 items rated from 0 (Never) to 3 (Always). Raw scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptoms.

  3. Child Irritability/Anger

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported child irritability and anger assessed using the irritability/anger item of the DSM-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-Parent/Guardian-Rated Measure for Children Ages 6-17. The item is rated from 0 (Not at all) to 4 (Nearly every day). Scores range from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating greater irritability/anger.

  4. Child Attention Problems

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported child attention problems assessed using the attention item of the DSM-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure-Parent/Guardian-Rated Measure for Children Ages 6-17. The item is rated from 0 (Not at all) to 4 (Nearly every day). Scores range from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating greater attention problems.

  5. Interparental Conflict

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported interparental conflict assessed using the 13-item intensity and frequency subscales of the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale, adapted for parent report. Items are rated on a 3-point scale and appropriately reverse-scored. Using summed item scores coded from 0 to 2, total scores range from 0 to 26, with higher scores indicating greater interparental conflict.

  6. Intervention Feasibility

    Time frame: Approximately 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported feasibility assessed using the 4-item Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM). Items are rated from 1 (Completely disagree) to 5 (Completely agree), with scores ranging from 4 to 20. Higher scores indicate greater perceived feasibility.

  7. Intervention Acceptability

    Time frame: Approximately 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported acceptability assessed using the 4-item Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM). Items are rated from 1 (Completely disagree) to 5 (Completely agree), with scores ranging from 4 to 20. Higher scores indicate greater acceptability.

  8. Intervention Appropriateness

    Time frame: Approximately 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported appropriateness assessed using the 4-item Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM). Items are rated from 1 (Completely disagree) to 5 (Completely agree), with scores ranging from 4 to 20. Higher scores indicate greater perceived appropriateness.

  9. Intervention Usability

    Time frame: Approximately 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported intervention usability assessed using the 10-item Intervention Usability Scale (IUS). Items are rated on a 5-point agreement scale. Positively and negatively worded items are scored according to standard IUS scoring procedures, and the summed score is multiplied by 2.5. Total scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater perceived intervention usability.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Emotion Regulation Difficulties

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported difficulties in emotion regulation assessed using the 16-item Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form (DERS-SF). Items are rated from 1 (Almost Never) to 5 (Almost Always), with total scores ranging from 16 to 80. Higher scores indicate greater difficulties with emotion regulation.

  2. Confidence in Making a Safety Plan for Self

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported confidence in the ability to make a safety plan for oneself, assessed using a single-item rating scale ranging from 0 (Not at all confident) to 100 (Completely confident). Higher scores indicate greater confidence in safety planning.

  3. Confidence in Making a Safety Plan for Children

    Time frame: Baseline and 30 days after program completion

    Parent-reported confidence in the ability to make a safety plan for one's child or children, assessed using a single-item rating scale ranging from 0 (Not at all confident) to 100 (Completely confident). Higher scores indicate greater confidence in safety planning.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Karey L O'Hara, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

480-727-6136

Sharlene A Wolchik, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Arizona State University

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Registry information

Official study title

Pilot Study to Test Effects of a New Interparental Conflict Intervention for Separating or Divorcing Parents

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Sep 11, 2026
Registry last updated
Sep 11, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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