Mother and Child Education Program in Palestinian Refugee Camps

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of the Mother Child Education Program (MOCEP)-a group-based early childhood development parenting education program-is to provide school-readiness and parenting skills to mothers of young children who do not have access to preschool education services. The MOCEP intervention also provides a setting in which caregivers can model pro-social behaviors and practice conflict resolution techniques directly with young children.

Detailed Description
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The purpose of the evaluation study is to rigorously evaluate the impact of MOCEP on child and parent outcomes among Palestinian refugees in Beirut, Lebanon. This evaluation employs an innovative, mixed-methods bio-behavioral approach to investigate the associations among social contexts; maternal, child and family functioning; and reduction in violence through the promotion of harmonious family relationships. The results of this study have implications for improving the lives of and reducing violence for the hundreds of thousands of families with young children living in fragile contexts. We hypothesize that when MOCEP is implemented with fidelity (i.e., delivered as intended by design), participating families will experience reduced violence in their homes and have better individual and intra-family outcomes than families who do not participate in the program.

Official Title
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Implementation and Impact Evaluation of the Mother and Child Education Program (MOCEP) Among Children and Families in Palestinian Refugee Camps in Beirut, Lebanon

Conditions
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Parenting

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: MOCEP


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Child must be between 3 and 6 years of age (children age 7 may be accepted under special circumstances) Mother must be able to read and write in Arabic (although skills may not be well-developed) Mothers must commit to participate in the 25-week MOCEP Intervention program

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 3 Years
Maximum Age: 6 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: MOCEP<br>MOCEP is implemented over a period of 25 weeks, through weekly group meetings that last approximately three hours. | Behavioral: MOCEP<br>* Through parent support and an evidence-based curriculum, MOCEP uses education to reduce risk factors that hinder children's health and wellbeing.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Waitlist Control Group<br>For ethical reasons, no one recruited will be excluded from the opportunity to benefit from the intervention. MOCEP group will be the primary intervention group and the second group will act as the wait-listed control group. Although the families in the wait-listed control group will start out as a control group (not receiving the intervention), they will have the opportunity to participate in the intervention in a later round of implementation, after the intervention group has completed the program. | Behavioral: MOCEP<br>* Through parent support and an evidence-based curriculum, MOCEP uses education to reduce risk factors that hinder children's health and wellbeing.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Disciplinary Style Questionnaire | Parent report measure of parental disciplinary style assesses the frequency with which parents engage in seven forms of discipline when dealing with children's undesirable behavior | 25 weeks | 
| Better Parenting Questionnaire | 11 Item questionnaire that measures parental knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding education and learning, child development and discipline / child rearing. | 25 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Socio-Emotional Status: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (child assessment) | Parent report measure assesses children's emotional and conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer relations. | 25 weeks | 
| Parental Stress Index | Assessment of maternal stress | 25 weeks | 
| Duke Social Support Index | Addresses social support in two domains: social interaction and subjective support | 25 weeks |