The Dedicated African American Dad Study

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The number of children living apart from their fathers has grown nationally, and the greatest percentage is evident among African American (AA) families; two-thirds of all African American children live in households without their biological father. Research supports the importance of positive fathering in the lives of children. But in order for children to benefit from their fathers' involvement, the father-child relationship must be timely and sustained. This study will test culturally relevant interventions aimed at increasing non-resident (not living with the child) AA fathers' involvement with their children.

Detailed Description
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The purpose of this competing continuation study is to test the efficacy of the core 9-session BBTF program (held over12-weeks) on: (1) improving father outcomes (psychological well-being, relationship quality with the child's mother, parenting competence); (2) father-mother relationship quality; (3) father involvement (material support, in-kind support, direct father-child interaction); and (4) child outcomes (behavioral, social, emotional). The study will use an experimental design and randomly assign 180 AA fathers who are not currently involved with the criminal justice system and their 2-5 year old children to the BBTF or an attention control condition and assess outcomes at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks. Custodial mothers of the children will be recruited to concurrently complete child outcome measures, measures of father-mother relationship quality, and father involvement measures. The specific aims and hypotheses are as follows: Aim 1: Test the direct effects of the 9-session BBTF program on: (1) father's outcomes (psychological well-being, parenting competence, and communication and problem solving) and (2) paternal involvement (material support, in-kind support, and direct father-child interaction), controlling for father characteristics (demographics, history of criminal justice system involvement, social support) and child characteristics (age, gender). Hypothesis 1: BBTF program fathers will report better father outcomes and greater paternal involvement than the attention control group at 12 weeks and 24 weeks. Aim 2: Test the mediating effects of father-mother relationship and father outcomes on paternal involvement across the two conditions. Hypothesis 2: Father-mother relationship quality and father outcomes will mediate intervention effects on paternal involvement. Aim 3: Compare the effects of the BBTF program, controlling for father outcomes, father-mother relationship, and paternal involvement on child outcomes (behavioral, emotional/social development) as compared to the attention control group. Hypothesis 3a: BBTF children will have improved child outcomes relative to the control group at 12 weeks and 24 weeks. Hypothesis 3b: Child outcomes will be mediated by improvements in father outcomes, paternal involvement and father-mother relationship.

Official Title
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African American Non-Resident Fatherhood Program: Effects on Child/Family Outcomes

Conditions
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Father - Child Relations

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: BBTF Intervention
* Behavioral: Financial Literacy Program


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: AA biological father of a child 2 to 5 years old Child lives with father no more than 48 hours per week (e.g., spends the weekends with his or her father) The child lives with the biological mother (or other custodial relative such as grandmother) in the metropolitan Chicago area. These fathers are referred to as AA non-resident fathers. Additional criteria include: (1) child's mother is willing to consent to complete the child assessments; - Child's mother is amenable to facilitating opportunities for fathers to interact with their children in order to practice skills learned in the program Father is able and willing to travel to one of two intervention sites to attend a weekly program. The study is limited to fathers with a target child aged 2-5 years. The rationale for this limit is based on the developmental phase when families are most vulnerable to decreased father involvement and children are highly dependent on parenting for their growth and development. Exclusion Criteria: Fathers with histories of child abuse, neglect, or violence perpetuated against the child or the child's mother (based on mother or father report).

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Male

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Financial Literacy Program<br>The Financial Literacy Program (FLP) attention control condition will not receive any information on fatherhood. They will participate in a nine-session financial education program, called Money Smart, which has modules that will be facilitated by a group leader that focus on banking, borrowing, checking accounts, money management, saving, establishing and repairing a credit history, using credit cards responsibly and learning about borrowing and home ownership. They will also receive a booster session 6 weeks after the final session that focuses on setting financial goals. | Behavioral: Financial Literacy Program<br>* The Financial Literacy Program (FLP) attention control condition consists of 9 group sessions and 1 booster session as described in the arm/group descriptions.<br>|
| Experimental: BBTF Intervention<br>The Building Bridges to Fatherhood (BBTF) intervention employs the following key features: a collaborative model for working with parents; vignettes of father-child models engaged in situations typical of non-resident fathers with young children for stimulating discussion and problem-solving; group discussion format, which allows fathers to support one another and share ideas on using program principles to fit within the contexts of fatherhood; homework assignments that help fathers practice the new skills at home; weekly handouts summarizing the major points discussed each week, which can be shared with others and used to gain greater support from extended family; and a Leader's Manual that standardizes the program across groups and group leaders. | Behavioral: BBTF Intervention<br>* The Building Bridges to Fatherhood (BBTF) intervention consists of 9 group sessions and 1 booster session as described in the arm/group descriptions.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Father Involvement as Measured by the Fragile Families Survey - Father Report | The Fragile Families Survey (FFS) Measures the frequency with which fathers provide material and in-kind support and directly interact with their child The minimum score is 13, and the maximum score is 52. Higher scores mean a better outcome. | Mean/Standard Error (SE) at Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Father Involvement as Measured by the Julion Index of Paternal Involvement - Father Report | The Julion Index of Paternal Involvement (JIPI) measured the frequency with which fathers provide material and in-kind support and engage in direct father-child interaction. The minimum value is 19 and the maximum value is 76. Higher scores mean a better outcome. | Change from baseline to 12 and 24 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Taylor Inventory of Self-Esteem (Positive) | The 16-item Taylor Inventory of Self-esteem is a measure of self-esteem and rewards and costs to self. The minimum value on the 8-item positive subscale is zero, and the maximum value is 64. Higher scores are better outcomes. | Mean/SE at Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Taylor Inventory of Self-Esteem (Negative) | The 16-item Taylor Inventory of Self-esteem is a measure of self-esteem and rewards and costs to self. The minimum value on the 8-item negative subscale is zero, and the maximum value is 64. Higher scores are worse outcomes. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Perceived Stress Scale (Negative) | The Perceived Stress Scale examines the degree to which situations are experienced as stressful. The 6-item negative subscale has a range of scores from zero to 24. Higher scores are worse outcomes. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Perceived Stress Scale (Positive) | The Perceived Stress Scale examines the degree to which situations are experienced as stressful. The 4-item positive subscale has a range of scores from zero to 16. Higher scores are better outcomes. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale | The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) measures depressive symptoms experienced in the past week. The minimum value is zero and the maximum value is sixty. Four items were reverse coded and higher scores indicated worse outcomes. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (Satisfaction) | The Parent Sense of Competency Scale measures satisfaction and self-efficacy in their parenting role. The 9-item satisfaction subscale has a range of scores from nine to fifty-four. Higher scores are better parenting self-esteem. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (Self-Efficacy) | The Parent Sense of Competency Scale measures satisfaction and self-efficacy in their parenting role. The 7-item self-efficacy subscale has a range of scores from seven to 42. Higher scores are better parenting self-esteem. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Parent Behavior Checklist (Discipline) | The Parent Behavior Checklist is a measure of parenting skills and knowledge. The 10-item discipline subscale has a range of values from 1 to 4. This scale was log transformed, making the range 0 to 1.4. Higher scores mean worse outcomes. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Parent Behavior Checklist (Nurturing) | The Parent Behavior Checklist is a measure of parenting skills and knowledge. The 10-item nurturing subscale has a range of values from 1 to 4. Higher scores mean worse outcomes. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Parent Behavior Checklist (Expectations) | The Parent Behavior Checklist is a measure of parenting skills and knowledge. The 12-item expectations subscale has a range of values from 1 to 4. Higher scores mean worse outcomes. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Quality of Relationship Inventory (Support) | Measure of support, conflict, and depth of father-mother relationship. The Quality of Relationship Inventory (QRI) a self-assessment questionnaire used to determine the quality of a couple's relationship and their satisfaction with the relationship. The minimum score on the support subscale is 1 and the maximum score is 4. Higher scores mean a better outcome. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Quality of Relationship Inventory (Conflict) | Measure of support, conflict, and depth of father-mother relationship. The Quality of Relationship Inventory (QRI) a self-assessment questionnaire used to determine the quality of a couple's relationship and their satisfaction with the relationship. The minimum score on the conflict subscale is 1and the maximum score is 4. Higher scores mean a worse outcome.. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Quality of Relationship Inventory (Depth) | Measure of support, conflict, and depth of father-mother relationship. The Quality of Relationship Inventory (QRI) a self-assessment questionnaire used to determine the quality of a couple's relationship and their satisfaction with the relationship. The minimum score on the depth subscale is 1 and the maximum score is 4. Higher scores mean a better outcome. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Behavior Assessment System for Children 3rd Ed (Aggression) | The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) is a measure of adaptive and problem behaviors in community and home settings. The aggression subscale measures the tendency to act in a hostile manner (either verbal or physical) that is threatening to others. The raw scores are converted to T-Scores with a population mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10. Higher scores mean a worse outcome. Scores 70 and above are considered clinically significant level. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Behavior Assessment System for Children 3rd Ed (Attention) | The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) is a measure of adaptive and problem behaviors in community and home settings. The attention subscale measures he tendency to be easily distracted and unable to concentrate more than momentarily. The raw scores are converted to T-Scores with a population mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10. Higher scores mean a worse outcome. Scores 70 and above are considered clinically significant level. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Behavior Assessment System for Children 3rd Ed (Depression) | The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) is a measure of adaptive and problem behaviors in community and home settings. The depression subscale measures feelings of unhappiness, sadness, and stress that may result in an inability to carry out everyday activities or may bring on thoughts of suicide. The raw scores are converted to T-Scores with a population mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10. Higher scores mean a worse outcome. Scores 70 and above are considered clinically significant level. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Behavior Assessment System for Children 3rd Ed (Hyperactivity) | The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) is a measure of adaptive and problem behaviors in community and home settings. The hyperactivity subscale measures the tendency to be overly active, rush through work or activities, and act without thinking. The raw scores are converted to T-Scores with a population mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10. Higher scores mean a worse outcome. Scores 70 and above are considered clinically significant level. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Tolerance For Disagreement | The degree of tolerance of interpersonal disagreement. The minimum score is 15 and the maximum score is 75. Higher scores mean a better outcome. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Personal Problem Solving Inventory - Efficacy | The Perceived Problem Solving Inventory subscale measures perceived efficacy in one's own ability to solve problems. The minimum score is 1 and the maximum score is 6 for each of the 7 items. The total range of scores for this subscale is from 1 to 6. Higher scores mean a worse outcome. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 
| Personal Problem Solving Inventory - Skills | The Personal Problem Solving Inventory measures perceived skills in one's own ability to solve problems. The minimum score is 1 and the maximum score is 6 for each of the 9 items on this subscale. Total range of scores for the scale are 1 to 6. Higher scores mean a worse outcome. | Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Non-Resident, Fathers, African American