Adolescent Mental Health Parenting Program for Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement

The purpose of this research study is to learn if a parenting program called Adolescent Mental Health Parenting Program for Child Adult Relationship Enhancement (AMP-CARE) can help parents have more confidence in parenting their teen and improve their knowledge about normal teen development and teen mental health. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does the AMP-CARE parenting program improve confidence in teen parenting and positive parenting? * Does the AMP-CARE parenting program improve parent knowledge about mental health?

Researchers will compare participants who complete the parenting program to those who do not.

Participants will:

* Complete 2 surveys, one at the start of the study and one 6 -12 weeks later * Half of the participants will be randomly picked to attend the 6 virtual AMP-CARE sessions right away. * The other half will have the opportunity to attend AMP-CARE after they complete the second survey.

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Key information

Conditions

Adolescent Behavior Behavior

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

UNC Pediatrics at Panther Creek, Cary, North Carolina, United States

About this study

In this randomized controlled trial, 60 parents of teens, ages 11-14 years, will be randomized to either AMP-CARE or wait-list control to achieve the following aims:

AIM 1. To measure the impact of AMP-CARE on parent mental health literacy as measured by the Parental Child Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire (PCMHLQ).

AIM 2: To measure the impact of AMP-CARE on parenting self-efficacy as measured by the Parenting Self Efficacy Scale.

AIM 3: To measure the impact of AMP-CARE on promotive parenting practices assessed by the Positive Parenting and Parental Involvement subscales of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Parent or guardian of teen age 11-14 years
Receiving primary care at selected study sites
English speaking

Exclusion criteria

Parents of children with severe mental illness (indicated by psychiatric hospitalization in the last 12 months or previous diagnosis of psychosis)
Parents of children with severe developmental delay (indicated by prior diagnosis of severe neurodevelopmental impairment, global developmental delay, severe expressive language delay)
Not available at time group is scheduled

Treatment and study plan

Adolescent Mental Health Parenting Program for Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (AMP-CARE)

Behavioral

The goals of AMP-CARE are to teach parents how to form a positive relationship with their teen and to teach about typical adolescent development and mental health. Each AMP-CARE session will be led by 1 or 2 trainers. About 4 to 13 parents will attend each virtual session lasting approximately 1.5 hours. Sessions will be weekly for 6 weeks. Participants are encouraged to practice the skills learned at AMP-CARE between the sessions.

Primary outcomes

Parent Mental Health Literacy

Time frame: From enrollment to completion of AMP-CARE program or 6-12 weeks after enrollment.

Parent Mental Health Literacy was assessed with 23-item self-report measure, the Parental Child Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire. Using a 5-pt scale with endpoints of "0=strongly disagree" and "4=strongly agree," parents were asked to indicate their level of agreement with statements related to 5 constructs: mental health recognition, beliefs, knowledge, help-seeking confidence, and fear of stigma. Scores ranged from 0 to 4. Higher scores indicate greater literacy.

Secondary outcomes

Parent Self Efficacy

Time frame: From enrollment to completion of AMP-CARE program or 6-12 weeks after enrollment.

Parenting self-efficacy was assessed with the 19-item self-report measure Parenting Self Efficacy Scale. Using a 5-point scale, parents indicated how frequently states related to their efficacy to develop positive teenager behavior, their efficacy to respond competently to negative teenager behavior, and their monitoring efficacy were true from "1=never" to 5 "always." Total scores ranged from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy.
Promotive Parenting Practices

Time frame: From enrollment to completion of AMP-CARE program or 6-12 weeks after enrollment.

Promotive parenting practices were assessed with 16 self-report items from two subscales of Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. The positive involvement subscale includes 10 items, with a range of possible scores from 10 to 50. The positive parenting subscale includes 6 items, with a range of possible scores from 6 to 30. Parents rate the frequency with which each parenting practice occurs in their home from "1=never" to "5=always." Higher scores indicate more positive parenting.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Evaluating the Impact of Adolescent Mental Health Parenting Program for Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement (AMP-CARE)

Acronym: AMP-CARE

Important dates

Study start: 2026
Primary completion: 2027
Study completion: 2027
First posted: Dec 24, 2025
Registry last updated: Dec 24, 2025

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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