Love Together, Parent Together: A Feasibility Study

NCT ID: NCT05143437

Last Updated: 2021-12-03

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 34 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-08-26
• Study Completion Date: 2021-11-14

Brief Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced additional stressors and challenges to couples' relationships, with potential ripple effects across all family subsystems and child adjustment. Among those who are particularly vulnerable to heightened conflict and lower relationship satisfaction during this time are couples with young children, whose relationships may have already been tenuous prior to the pandemic. The Love Together Parent Together (L2P2) program is a brief, low-intensity writing intervention adapted for parents of young children, designed to reduce conflict-related distress and prevent relationship deterioration. Based on an original writing program by Finkel and colleagues, adaptations include intervention duration and study population. The current study will examine key feasibility metrics related to this adapted intervention program with the goal of identifying problems and informing parameters of future pilot and/or main randomized controlled trials (RCT). The current study is a non-randomised feasibility study, using a single-arm, pre-test/post-test design to primarily assess the feasibility of a large trial, and secondarily to assess the potential effects on outcomes to be used in a future RCT. Couples will be recruited through three community-based agencies with the goal of obtaining a socio-demographically diverse sample. The first 20 couples to enroll will be included. Baseline and post-intervention surveys will be conducted, and a writing intervention will take place (three 7-minute sessions over the course of four weeks). The primary feasibility metrics will include recruitment rates, appropriateness of eligibility criteria, sample diversity, retention, uptake, and adherence, and acceptability. In addition, the researchers will develop an objective primary outcome measure of couple "we-ness" based on analysis of writing samples. The secondary outcomes will include couples' measures (i.e., relationship quality, perceived partner responsiveness, self-reported partner responsiveness, conflict-related distress), and other family outcomes (i.e., parent-child relations, parental/child mental health, and parenting practices). Criteria for success are outlined and failure to meet criteria will result in adaptations to measurement schedule, intervention design, recruitment approaches, and/or other elements of the study design. This feasibility study will inform several components of the procedures used for a subsequent pilot RCT, which will examine the feasibility of the methodology used to evaluate the program (e.g., randomization, attrition to follow up assessment/across groups, and sample size estimation, preliminary effectiveness), and a main trial, which will investigate the effectiveness of the intervention on primary outcome measures as well as mediating pathways.

Detailed Description

See attached protocol.

Conditions

Family Conflict; Internet-Based Intervention

Keywords

Couples' relationships; Family Systems; Writing Intervention; Non-randomised; Feasibility study

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Writing Intervention

Couples will take part in three 7-minute online writing sessions over the course of four weeks.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Love Together Parent Together

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

A brief, low-intensity writing intervention adapted for parents of young children, designed to reduce conflict-related distress, prevent relationship deterioration and encourage the use of conflict reappraisal strategies designed to reduce conflict-related distress, etc.

Interventions

Love Together Parent Together

A brief, low-intensity writing intervention adapted for parents of young children, designed to reduce conflict-related distress, prevent relationship deterioration and encourage the use of conflict reappraisal strategies designed to reduce conflict-related distress, etc.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

L2P2

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Both participants endorse being in a relationship
• Both partners reside in the same home
• There are one or more children under the age of 6 living at home
• Both participants are over age 18 years
• Both members of a couple agree to participate

Exclusion Criteria

• No current plans or history of separation or divorce as this is meant to be a secondary preventative intervention for couples experiencing some but not severe relationship difficulties.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Toronto

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

McMaster University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

York University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Heather Prime

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Heather Prime, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

York University

Locations

York University

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Countries

Canada

References

Prime H, Muise A, Benyamin V, Thabane L, Wade M. Love Together, Parent Together (L2P2): a protocol for a feasibility study of a conflict reappraisal writing intervention for interparental couples with young children. Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2022 Aug 6;8(1):170. doi: 10.1186/s40814-022-01115-y.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 35933434 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

e2021-266

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id