Parent-focused Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: An Effectiveness-implementation Hybrid Trial

NCT ID: NCT05976867

Last Updated: 2025-06-11

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

400 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-11-07

Study Completion Date

2028-07-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness of a parent-focused child sexual abuse prevention program (Smart Parents) delivered to parents enrolled in a parent education program (Parents as Teachers; PAT). The main questions the trial aims to answer are:

1. Does PAT + Smart Parents improve parents' CSA-related awareness and protective behaviors compared to PAT as usual?
2. Are potential gains maintained 12- and 24-months post intervention?
3. What parent-, provider-, and organizational-level factors hold promise for future dissemination and implementation efforts?

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

To expand the empirical evidence for the effectiveness of Smart Parents and to explore the implementation factors that might promote or hinder adoption, fidelity, and scalability, the proposed study uses a type 2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation design. Designed to efficiently bridge the research to practice gap, the type 2 hybrid design tests the effectiveness of an intervention while concurrently exploring the viability of an explicit implementation strategy in a real world setting. To determine effectiveness (Aims 1 \& 2), the investigators will conduct a pragmatic, quasi-experimental, stepped wedge cluster randomized trial (SW-CRT; N = 400) of CSA-related awareness (i.e., knowledge and attitudes about CSA and CSA prevention) and intention to use CSA protective behaviors for parents receiving Smart Parents when added to PAT (PAT+Smart Parents) compared to parents receiving PAT treatment as usual (PAT-TAU; Aim 1). The investigators will follow-up participating parents in both conditions at 12- and 24-months to determine retention of awareness (i.e., knowledge and attitudes) and actual use of protective behaviors (Aim 2).

A variation of a crossover experimental design, the SW-CRT is a pragmatic experimental design wherein randomized clusters sequentially transition from control to intervention until all clusters are exposed to the intervention. Once introduced to a cluster, the intervention is never removed. Facilitated by PAT National, 25 PAT sites will be recruited at the start of the study period. Sites will then be randomized into 1 of 5 clustered sequences (or steps) each containing 5 sites (or clusters). At the time on randomization, providers at all sites will begin recruiting eligible parents for participation in research and parents will begin the data collection protocols. At the point of the wedge, sites will be trained to deliver Smart Parents and will transition from control (PAT+TAU) to intervention (PAT+Smart Parents) conditions, the timing of which will be determined by the randomized step assignment.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Child Sexual Abuse

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

PAT + Smart Parents

Participants in this arm will receive the additional Smart Parents module, added to Parents as Teachers (PAT) in which they are already enrolled. This is the experimental condition.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Parents as Teachers (PAT) + Smart Parents

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Added session to PAT following foundational visit 6. Smart Parents is comprised of 3 CSA specific prevention components: (1) healthy child sexual development, (2) communication about sexual concepts and sexual behaviors, and (3) safety strategies (including online safety.

Delivered in one session (\~60 min). Parents return to PAT as usual following this session.

PAT as usual

Participants in this arm will continue to receive Parents as Teachers (PAT) as usual. This is the treatment as usual condition (comparison).

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Parents as Teachers (PAT) as usual

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Parents as Teachers parent-education program as designed. Delivered in the home to parents of children under 5. Parents begin with the foundational curriculum (mostly taught within the first six sessions) focused on healthy child development, parenting behaviors including parent-child interactions and communication, and creating a safe home environment in terms of avoiding accidents and injuries. After the foundational curriculum, additional sessions are delivered based on the continued needs of the family until the child ages out or the parent discontinues services. PAT uses development-centered parenting, family well-being, and community connections to reinforce this foundational curriculum.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Parents as Teachers (PAT) as usual

Parents as Teachers parent-education program as designed. Delivered in the home to parents of children under 5. Parents begin with the foundational curriculum (mostly taught within the first six sessions) focused on healthy child development, parenting behaviors including parent-child interactions and communication, and creating a safe home environment in terms of avoiding accidents and injuries. After the foundational curriculum, additional sessions are delivered based on the continued needs of the family until the child ages out or the parent discontinues services. PAT uses development-centered parenting, family well-being, and community connections to reinforce this foundational curriculum.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Parents as Teachers (PAT) + Smart Parents

Added session to PAT following foundational visit 6. Smart Parents is comprised of 3 CSA specific prevention components: (1) healthy child sexual development, (2) communication about sexual concepts and sexual behaviors, and (3) safety strategies (including online safety.

Delivered in one session (\~60 min). Parents return to PAT as usual following this session.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* One parent per household that is currently enrolled in PAT qualified to receive bi-weekly visits;
* English or Spanish speaking;
* Has at least one child at home over 12-mo;
* Only newly enrolled parents (i.e., parents who have not received more than 3 of the PAT foundational sessions).

Exclusion Criteria

* Not currently enrolled in PAT;
* Not English or Spanish speaking;
* Does not have a child over 12-mo old;
* Previously enrolled in PAT (i.e., parents who have received more than 3 of the PAT foundational sessions)
Minimum Eligible Age

15 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

New York University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

New York University, School of Global Public Health

New York, New York, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Kate Guastaferro, PhD, MPH

Role: CONTACT

2129929032

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Kate Guastaferro, PhD MPH

Role: primary

212-992-9032

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

R01HD108209

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

View Link

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.