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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04101799

Evaluation of the Parental Support Intervention For Our Children's Sake in Prisons in Sweden

Evaluation of the effects of the parental support intervention "For our children's sake" on positive parenting outcomes when conducted with incarcerated parents in prisons in Sweden.

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Key information

Conditions

Parenting Behavior Criminal Behavior Parent-Child Relations

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Karolinska Institutet

Stockholm, Sweden

About this study

Children of incarcerated parents comprise a greatly disadvantaged group in society with elevated risk of ill-health, behavioural problems, and own delinquency and unemployment later in life. Positive parenting comprise an important factor for children's positive and healthy development. Incarcerated parents may have difficulties to engage in positive parenting due to disadvantaged situations affecting parenting negatively such as drug addiction, poverty, or lack of experience of positive parenting in their own childhood. Previous research has suggested that interventions to prevent the intergenerational effect of criminality should be targeting family factors where positive parenting has been emphasised. Internationally developed parenting interventions for incarcerated parents suggest an impact on parenting outcomes such as positive parent-child interaction, parenting knowledge, empathy, parent stress, increased child contact and active parenting, However, the majority of the programmes evaluated to date have been conducted in the US, with a prison and probation context with limited generalisability to the Swedish system. In Sweden, the parenting programme for incarcerated parents, "For our children's' sake" (FOCS) was developed in 2012-2014 with the aim to support positive parenting for the child's healthy development and is currently delivered in Swedish prisons. The aim of this project is to evaluate the effects of the FOCS parenting programme on parenting outcomes through a controlled trial with a parallel implementation process evaluation.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Serving a sentence at any of the included prisons
  • Having at least one child in the ages between 0-18 years. Parents of children aged 0-2 and 13-18 years will not be included in the primary outcome measure, as the measure is not developed for these age groups. These parents will be included in the mediator measurements.
  • Are in contact with their child/children in any form. If not, these parents are included in the mediator measurements, as the primary outcome: relationship quality, is not applicable.
  • Having the legal right to contact the child
  • Not committed either a crime against the child or any violent crime against the other parent

Exclusion criteria

  • Not fulfilling inclusion criteria

Treatment and study plan

For Our Children's Sake

Behavioral

Parental support with the aim to support positive parenting and promote healthy child development. Conducted in group-format with weekly 2.hour sessions conducted by trained group leaders according to a programme manual.

Active Control

Other

Participating in everyday activities that may include parenting activities in the control prisons

Primary outcomes

  1. 7-items sub-scale Closeness in the Child Parent Relationship Scale

    Time frame: Positive change in mean score of all 7 items between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at mid-intervention to investigate mediated effects, and a 3-month post intervention follow-up.

    Parent-reported quality in relationship between parent and child on a 5-point scale ('complete agree' to 'completely disagree')

Secondary outcomes

  1. Contact frequency and type between parent and child

    Time frame: Change in mean score of items between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at a 3-month post intervention follow-up.

    Parent-reported frequency (weekly, monthly, less, no contact) and type (letter, telephone, visit/permission, other

  2. Eight items chosen from the sub-scale antisocial intent in the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates scale

    Time frame: Change in mean score of items between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at a 3-month post intervention follow-up.

    Parental attitude to criminality self-reported on a 5-point scale ('complete agree' to 'completely disagree')

  3. Parent interest in other treatment programmes in prison

    Time frame: Change in item score between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at a 3-month post intervention follow-up.

    One item self-reported on an 11-point scale (0 no interest, 10 very high interest)

Other outcomes

  1. 14 item parenting attitude from the The Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI-2)

    Time frame: Change in mean score of items between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at mid-intervention to investigate mediated effects, and a 3-month post intervention follow-up.

    Intermediate outcome/mediator self-reported on a 5-point scale ('complete agree' to 'completely disagree')

  2. 6 items parental self-efficacy scale

    Time frame: Change in mean score of items between baseline (pre-intervention) and end of intervention, after 10 weeks. Measurements will also be conducted at mid-intervention to investigate mediated effects, and a 3-month post intervention follow-up.

    Intermediate outcome/mediator self-reported on a 5-point scale ('complete agree' to 'completely disagree')

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Karolinska Institutet

Other

Collaborators

  • The Solstickan Foundation, The Sven Jerring Foundation

Registry information

Official study title

Children of Incarcerated Parents - Evaluation of Parental Support Programme in Prison to Promote Positive Parenting and Prevent Children's Ill-health and Delinquency Later in Life

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2020
First posted
Sep 24, 2019
Registry last updated
Sep 23, 2020

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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