Study protocol for a randomized clinical trial of a fatherhood intervention for African American non-resident fathers: Can we improve father and child outcomes?

Abstract

Purpose African American (AA) fathers who live apart from their children face multiple obstacles to consistent and positive involvement with their children. Consequently, significant numbers of children are bereft of their father’s positive involvement. Intervention research that is explicitly focused on promoting the positive involvement of non-resident AA fathers with their young children is limited. The purpose of this article is to describe the study protocol of a randomized trial (RCT) designed to test the Building Bridges to Fatherhood program against a financial literacy comparison condition; and discuss early implementation challenges. Methods Fathers (n = 180) are recruited to attend 10 group meetings, reimbursed for transportation, given dinner and activity vouchers for spending time with their child, and incentivized with a $40 gift card at each data collection time point. Mothers are incentivized ($40 gift card) at data collection and must be amenable to father child interaction. Intervention targets include father psychological well-being, parenting competence, communication, problem-solving ability; father-mother relationship quality; and child behavioral and emotional/social development. Results To date, 57 fathers have been randomized to study condition. Recruitment has been influenced by father and mother hesitancy and the logistics of reaching and maintaining contact with participants. Strategies to surmount challenges to father and mother recruitment and engagement have been developed. Conclusions The prospective benefits of positive father involvement to children, fathers and families outweigh the challenges associated with community-based intervention research. The findings from this RCT can inform the body of knowledge on engaging AA non-resident fathers in culturally relevant fatherhood programming.

Group‐based transmission of fatherhood among intergenerational African American fathers: A case study

“…Fathers' parenting styles help to bolster self-esteem and confidence (Stahlschmidt et al, 2013) and that may improve a child's social behavior (Salinas et al, 2011). Being a positively involved father also contributes to men's maturity and self-sacrifice and confers psychological benefits (Julion et al, 2016).…”

“…These minority paternal‐specific constraints contribute to psychological distress for fathers; constraints that have been under examined in empirical research. Thus policies, programs and father‐centric interventions directed towards fathers, particularly adolescent AA nonresident fathers are essential (Julion et al, ).…”

“…One reason the transition into fatherhood may be perceived as stressful is that the diffusion of paternal roles from one generation to the next may be interrupted or nonexistent. Factors that can potentially disrupt the transmission of paternal role models between generations include (a) fewer fathers living in the same homes with their sons, which subsequently reduces paternal learning opportunities (Vespa, Lewis, & Kreider, ); (b) minimal access to paternal and child‐health resources (Salinas, Smith, & Armstrong, ); (c) limited exposure to highly experienced and skilled fathers (Smith, Tandon, Bair‐Merritt, & Hanson, ); and (d) underexplored alternatives for transmitting paternal learning, such as group‐based parenting interventions (Julion et al, ; Stahlschmidt, Threlfall, Seay, Lewis, & Kohl, ). The absence of a positive paternal role model can impede sons’ abilities to become positive and effective fathers (Paschal, Lewis‐Moss, & Hsiao, ).…”

A tripartite model for recruiting African‐Americans into fatherhood intervention research

“…Recruitment and data collection were conducted by part-time recruiters who employed active and passive recruitment strategies (Estabrooks et al, 2017;Ibrahim, Chung, & Bernstein, 2011). The full study protocol is detailed elsewhere (Julion et al, 2016). To address challenges to recruiting AANR fathers from community settings, our team developed a tripartite model of recruitment that integrates strong community partnerships, study infrastructure, and recruitment personnel ( Figure 1).…”

Exploration of factors predictive of at-risk fathers' participation in a pilot study of an augmented evidence-based parent training program: A mixed methods approach

“…Apart from a few studies (Julion et al, 2016; Kohl & Seay, 2015; Stahlschmidt, Threlfall, Seay, Lewis, & Kohl, 2013; Threlfall & Kohl, 2015), fathers, especially African American ones, have been underrepresented in research of parenting programs (Raikes & Bellotti, 2006; Fletcher et al, 2011; Smith, Duggan, Bair-Merritt, & Cox, 2012), and thus, little is known about what motivates fathers to enroll and remain engaged in parenting programs. Much of the research to date has focused on behavioral parent training programs that are delivered via group and target children’s behavioral problems (Webster-Stratton, Reid, & Hammond, 2004).…”