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Video-Based Approach to Engaging Parents into a Preventive Parenting Intervention for Divorcing Families: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

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Abstract

The public health impact of evidence-based, preventive parenting interventions has been severely constrained by low rates of participation when interventions are delivered under natural conditions. It is critical that prevention scientists develop effective and feasible parent engagement methods. This study tested video-based methods for engaging parents into an evidence-based program for divorcing parents. Three alternative versions of a video were created to test the incremental effectiveness of different theory-based engagement strategies based on social influence and health behavior models. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the three experimental videos versus two control conditions, an information-only brochure and an information-only video. Participants were attendees at brief, court-mandated parent information programs (PIPs) for divorcing or never married, litigating parents. Of the 1123 eligible parents, 61% were female and 13% were never married to the child’s other parent. Randomization to one of five conditions was conducted at the PIP class level, blocking on facilitator. All participants completed a 15-item, empirically validated risk index and an invitation form. Results of regression analyses indicated that the most streamlined version, the core principles video, significantly increased parents’ interest in participating in the parenting intervention, enrollment during a follow-up call, and initiation (i.e., attending at least one session) compared to one or the other control conditions. Findings suggest that videos based on social influence and health behavior theories could provide an effective and feasible method for increasing parent engagement, which would help maximize the public health benefits of evidence-based parenting interventions.

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Notes

  1. In cohort 1, parents who were never married but attended the PIP because of disputes over custody, child support, or parenting time were deemed ineligible. In subsequent cohorts, this eligibility criterion was removed because they were deemed appropriate for the NBP. Analyses (not shown) showed that parent’s marital history was not related to any dependent variables.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Emily B. Winslow, Sanford Braver, Robert Cialdini, Irwin Sandler, Jenn-Yun Tein & Monique Lopez

  2. REACH Institute, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 876005, Tempe, AZ, 85287-6005, USA

    Emily B. Winslow, Irwin Sandler, Jenn-Yun Tein & Monique Lopez

  3. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jennifer Betkowski

  4. School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Liza Hita

  5. Willowstone Family Services, Lafayette, IN, USA

    Mona Bapat

  6. Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA

    Lorey Wheeler

Authors
  1. Emily B. Winslow
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  2. Sanford Braver
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  3. Robert Cialdini
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  4. Irwin Sandler
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  5. Jennifer Betkowski
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  6. Jenn-Yun Tein
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  7. Liza Hita
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  8. Mona Bapat
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  9. Lorey Wheeler
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  10. Monique Lopez
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emily B. Winslow.

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Funding

This study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (P30 MH39246, T32 MH018387). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent official views of the NIMH or the National Institutes of Health.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. All study procedures were reviewed and approved by Arizona State University’s Institutional Review Board.

Informed Consent

Data were collected anonymously for PIP participants who were not interested in participating in the New Beginnings Program. Those who expressed interest signed consent to link their survey data to themselves through the use of unique identifiers. Informed consent was obtained from all parents who participated in the New Beginnings Program.

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Winslow, E.B., Braver, S., Cialdini, R. et al. Video-Based Approach to Engaging Parents into a Preventive Parenting Intervention for Divorcing Families: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Prev Sci 19, 674–684 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-017-0791-3

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