Clinical trial NCT02792309: Impact Evaluation of MotherWise Program
Official title: Strengthening Relationship Education and Marriage Services - Impact Evaluation of MotherWise Program
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Parenting
Family Relations
Marriage
Mother-Child Relations
Lead sponsor: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Department of Health and Human Services
First posted: 2016-06-07
Enrollment: 953
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Mathematica was awarded a contract by ACF to conduct the evaluation of selected grantees offering Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Programs.This particular evaluation will focus on the University of Denver's MotherWise program, which offers relationship education and other supports to low-income women expecting a baby. The program has three core components: (1) 18 hours of core workshop sessions using the Within My Reach relationship education curriculum supplemented with content on mother-infant relationships; (2) case management services; and (3) optional relationship education workshops for couples. The evaluation will test the effect of this full package of services on mothers' relationship outcomes, as well as other outcomes related to child well-being, such as co-parenting and father involvement.

Detailed description: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), is conducting an evaluation of healthy marriage and relationship education (HMRE) programs. Mathematica was awarded a contract by ACF to conduct the evaluation of selected programs/grantees.This segment of the larger evaluation will focus on the University of Denver's MotherWise program.

The Mother Wise program will offer relationship education and other supports to low-income women expecting a baby. The program will have three core components: (1) 18 hours of core workshop sessions using the Within My Reach relationship education curriculum supplemented with content on mother-infant relationships; (2) case management services; and (3) optional relationship education workshops for couples. The evaluation will test the effect of this full package of services on mothers' relationship outcomes, as well as other outcomes related to child well-being, such as co-parenting and father involvement. If feasible, the evaluation will also examine some measures available through hospital records, such as birth weight.

Mother Wise will enroll women who are expecting a baby and those who have had a baby within the past month.

Control group members will not be eligible for Mother Wise but will be eligible for other services available in the community.

To document the outcomes of study participants, survey data will be collected at two time points: (1) a baseline survey administered at study enrollment, a (2) a 12-month follow-up survey, and (3) a 30-month follow-up survey. Surveys will be conducted by staff at Mathematica's Survey Operations Center using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). Survey data may be supplemented with administrative records data from the Denver Health system.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

To be eligible, women must be expecting a baby or had a baby in the past 3 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

To be eligible, women must not be incarcerated.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Perceived romantic relationship skills
timeFrame: 1 year after random assignment
measure: Perceived romantic relationship skills
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Perceived conflict management skills
timeFrame: 1 year after random assignment
measure: Perceived conflict management skills
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Support for going slow in romantic relationships
timeFrame: 1 year after random assignment
measure: Support for going slow in romantic relationships
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Disapproval of couple violence
timeFrame: 1 year after random assignment
measure: Disapproval of couple violence
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Any psychological abuse
timeFrame: 1 year after random assignment
measure: Any psychological abuse
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Any physical abuse
timeFrame: 1 year after random assignment
measure: Any physical abuse
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Had an unintended pregnancy since program enrollment
timeFrame: 1 year after random assignment
measure: Had an unintended pregnancy since program enrollment
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Quality of co-parenting relationship with baby's father
timeFrame: 1 year after random assignment
measure: Quality of co-parenting relationship with baby's father
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Depressive symptoms
timeFrame: 1 year after random assignment
measure: Depressive symptoms
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Number of relationship transitions
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Material hardship
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Child social-emotional and behavioral problems
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
measure: Child social-emotional abilities
timeFrame: 30 months after random assignment
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Denver
country: United States
facility: University of Denver
state: Colorado
Study officials:
affiliation: Mathematica Policy Research
name: Robert Wood, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: