Impact Evaluation of Family Expectations: A Program to Strengthen the Relationships of Disadvantaged Expectant Couples

Public Strategies

Status: Completed

Conditions: Parenting; Family Relations; Committed Couple Expecting a Child

Treatments: Behavioral: Family Expectations

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03058549

860135

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study investigates the effectiveness of a program to strengthen the relationships of disadvantaged expectant couples, and to increase co-parenting, father involvement, and economic stability. Couples are randomly assigned to Family Expectations or a control group, and assessed at baseline and one year.

Full description

The birth of a child can trigger relationship distress and dissolution. Family Expectations (FE) targets the transition to parenthood as a critical time to help couples focus on family success. Regardless of whether couples are married or unmarried, the goal of FE is to strengthen relationships and advance the well-being of economically disadvantaged couples who are expecting a baby or who are new parents, and to improve the lives of their children. The FE program, including the Becoming Parents (BP) curriculum and supplemental services, is designed to address specific risk factors that affect individual family members and the relationships among them, and to build protective factors that help families avoid, minimize, or manage risks (e.g., individual maladaptation [mother, father, child], couple relationship difficulties, parenting difficulties, and economic insufficiency).

A total of 1,355 couples will be randomly assigned to either Family Expectations (n = 813; 60%) or an untreated control group (n = 542; 40%). Once assigned, participants in the study will complete baseline questions by survey. Those assigned to the FE track will be scheduled for services with the FE intervention team and the control group will not receive the FE intervention. Members of the intervention and control groups will be surveyed both before they are randomly assigned and 12 months later. The study will examine if the Family Expectations program is associated with improved outcomes on relationship quality, stability, parenting quality, father involvement, child wellbeing, and hopefulness about employment.

Enrollment: 2,640 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 100 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Both partners are willing to participate
2. Partners have a commitment to be together as a couple
3. Both partners are the biological parents of a child in a current pregnancy or of a child born within the past 3 months
4. Fluent in English (study and intervention materials are in English)

Exclusion criteria

1. Either or both partners have taken part in Family Expectations services before

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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2,640 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention: Family Expectations

Experimental group

Description:

Family Expectations includes 36 hours of relationship education and parenting content, coaching sessions for couples, and group case management/referral information about local resources. Each couple will also complete an initial case management assessment, followed by referrals to any needed services, such as employment, substance abuse, mental health, housing, etc. Based on need, couples will have the option of additional case management/coaching services during their involvement in Family Expectations.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Family Expectations

Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

The control group will not receive the intervention though they are able to seek and obtain any services they wish in the community (Treatment as Usual).