Promoting Alcohol Reduction in Non-Treatment Seeking parents (PAReNTS): a protocol for a pilot feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial of alcohol screening and brief interventions to reduce parental alcohol use disorders in vulnerable families

Abstract

BackgroundResearch estimates that 30% of children under the age of 16 years in the UK live with at least one parent with an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Parental AUDs are associated with adverse childhood experiences and poorer outcomes for children. The PAReNTS (Promoting Alcohol Reduction in Non-Treatment Seeking parents) trial aims to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a randomised controlled trial of brief alcohol interventions to reduce parental alcohol misuse.MethodsThe cluster randomised controlled trial will be conducted within early help family support and children’s social care services in three local authorities in the North East of England: Newcastle, Durham and North Tyneside. All eligible parents the caseloads of participating practitioners will be screened for an AUD using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test – Consumption (AUDIT-C) screening tool by the social care practitioners within routine appointments. All parents who score 5 or more on the AUDIT-C will be invited to participate in the trial. Consenting participants will complete a baseline questionnaire before receiving one of three randomised interventions: (i) healthy lifestyle leaflet (control intervention); (ii) a brief alcohol advice intervention delivered by the social care practitioner plus healthy lifestyle leaflet; (iii) a brief alcohol advice intervention delivered by the social care practitioner, healthy lifestyle leaflet plus a 40-min behaviour change intervention with an optional review session delivered by the local alcohol service. Follow-up data will be collected 6 and 12 months post recruitment. A linked qualitative study will explore participating parent and practitioner views on the acceptability of trial processes and interventions.DiscussionThe PAReNTS trial will provide a robust estimate of recruitment, retention and consent rates in order to inform the design of a future definitive study examining the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of alcohol screening and brief interventions to reduce parental AUDs within vulnerable families.Trial registrationISRCTN registry ISRCTN60291091; protocol version 2; 17.10.2016Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40814-018-0305-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Preferences for Delivering Brief Alcohol Intervention to Risky Drinking Parents in Children’s Social Care: A Discrete Choice Experiment

“…However, there are currently no screening tools which have been developed for use with parents or that are focused upon the risk parental alcohol misuse presents to their child(ren). Our own on-going pilot feasibility trial examining brief alcohol interventions delivered to parents in contact with social care ( McGovern et al., 2018 ) utilized AUDIT-C. This tool, which asks only about consumption and not impact, was used to overcome the perceived sensitivity of asking parents about alcohol within a context of safeguarding children.…”

“…This evidence-base informed National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendations that brief alcohol interventions should be implemented in a range of settings in the UK including social care ( National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, 2010 ). However, there is a paucity of studies examining the effectiveness of alcohol screening and brief interventions within social care settings or specifically its use with parents referred to children’s social care to support and safeguard the child ( McGovern et al., 2018 ). Furthermore, little is understood about the acceptability of brief interventions to the social care workforce or the optimum implementation approach.…”

Investigating Relationships Between Drinking Venues, Drinking Companions, and Corporal Punishment of Children

“…More resource-intensive programs could include childcare and supportive resources for children whose parents drink frequently at bars or parties with spouses. While brief interventions designed to reduce problematic alcohol use among the general population or parents have been developed in the United States and internationally (Gonzales et al, 2012; McGovern et al, 2018; Wilson et al, 2012), many do not screen for drinking companions or drinking venues in their initial assessments. Our findings suggest that it may be helpful for those in social service or other fields interested in the welfare of children to screen parental drinking on several dimensions, including where and with whom they drink to ascertain risk.…”

Promoting Alcohol Reduction in Non-Treatment Seeking parents (PAReNTS): a pilot feasibility cluster randomized controlled trial of brief alcohol interventions with parents in contact with child safeguarding services

“…The PAReNTS trial is a pilot feasibility cluster randomized controlled trial in the North-East of England (ISRCTN60291091). A published trial protocol outlines all of these procedures in detail ( McGovern et al . 2018 ).…”