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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05632237

Evaluation of a Family Strengthening Program Evaluation in Sierra Leone to Prevent Family Separation

In Sierra Leone, poverty and challenges with family functioning can lead to family separation, and children may go to live on the street or enter residential care institutions/orphanages. Helping Children Worldwide (HCW), a non-profit organization with over 20 years of experience in Sierra Leone, has developed a two-part Family Strengthening Program delivered by their program partners in Sierra Leone, the Child Reintegration Centre, to improve families financial literacy and attachment between caregivers and children, with the ultimate goal of preventing family separation. The hypothesis of this study is that the Family Strengthening Program program is effective at (1) changing parenting behaviors, (2) improving emotional regulation, (3) improving caregiver-child attachment, and (4) improving financial literacy in dyads consisting of children ages 9-13 and their caregivers.

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Key information

Conditions

Parent-Child Relations Behavior Economic Problems Emotion Regulation Emotional Regulation Parenting Self-Control Social Behavior

Age range

9 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

the Child Reintegration Centre

Bo, Sierra Leone

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Dyads must consist of a principal child (the one whose situation initiated their involvement with the Child Reintegration Centre) and their primary caregiver (as defined by the Child Reintegration Centre as the person in the family primarily responsible for the health and wellbeing of the principal child and is noted as such in their case file)
  • Primary child is ages 9-13
  • Dyad is actively participating in Child Reintegration Centre services (i.e., child must have been seen by the case manager in the last month)
  • Dyad lives in the Bo area.

Exclusion criterion:

(1) Family has been assessed by the Child Reintegration Centre to be in active crisis, i.e., specific concerns about the child being at-risk or unsafe (suspicions of abuse or neglect).

Treatment and study plan

Family strengthening program

Behavioral

Phase I: 2-day Family Strengthening Workshop. The specific topics included in the workshop include: emotions, Body Progressive Muscle Relaxation, body stretch, self care, apologizing, routines to promote attachment, teamwork, saving, delayed gratification, anticipating unexpected expenses, identifying family strengths and values.

Phase II: Case management with family strengthening curriculum. Curriculum is delivered over the course of four visits (about 3 months), some of which involve both caregiver and child while others are just for the caregiver. Topics included are using appropriate discipline, effective communication for family problem-solving, and home budgeting.

Primary outcomes

  1. Caregiver and child change in emotional regulation as measured by the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation (DERS) scale

    Time frame: Baseline: Up to 2 months before intervention; Endline: Up to 2 months after intervention

  2. Change in child attachment as measured by the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA)

    Time frame: Baseline: Up to 2 months before intervention; Endline: Up to 2 months after intervention

  3. Change in caregiver- and child-reported use of punishment by caregiver

    Time frame: Baseline: Up to 2 months before intervention; Endline: Up to 2 months after intervention

    Measures developed for this study tailored for context; e.g., flogging child with hand or cane, public shaming, withholding food

  4. Change in self-reported economic well-being

    Time frame: Baseline: Up to 2 months before intervention; Endline: Up to 2 months after intervention

    Measures developed for this study tailored for context and intervention content; e.g., awareness of income/spending, saving and budgeting behaviors, ability to pay for unexpected expense

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in child- and caregiver-reported parenting behaviors by caregiver

    Time frame: Baseline: Up to 2 months before intervention; Endline: Up to 2 months after intervention

    Measures developed for this study tailored for context and intervention content; e.g., asking child about their life, spending one-on-one time with child, physically showing affection, giving compliments/praise, using a routine, apologizing, providing emotional support

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Boston College

Other

Collaborators

  • Child Reintegration Centre
  • Christian Alliance for Orphans
  • Helping Children Worldwide

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Nov 30, 2022
Registry last updated
Apr 20, 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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