Father-Focused Intervention for Reducing Family Violence and Symptoms in Children

Launched by YALE UNIVERSITY · Oct 4, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called "Father-Focused Intervention for Reducing Family Violence and Symptoms in Children," is exploring a program called Fathers for Change (F4C). The main goal is to see if F4C is more effective than standard programs for fathers who have been involved in intimate partner violence (IPV). Specifically, the trial wants to find out if F4C can help reduce violence in the family and improve mental health for children aged 6 to 12. It will also look at how fathers managing their emotions and reflecting on their behavior can impact the outcomes for their children.

To participate, fathers must have a child between 6 and 12 years old, have had an incident of IPV in the past year, and currently have an open case with child protective services. They also need to be able to speak English and agree to have the child’s mother contacted for permission to participate. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the F4C program or the standard intervention. Throughout the study, fathers can expect to learn skills that may help improve their relationships with their children and reduce family violence. It's important to note that fathers with certain legal issues or severe substance use problems may not be eligible for this trial.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • have at least one 6 month to 12-year-old biological child with whom they have contact;
• • had an incident of IPV within the last 12 months prior to screening with their child's mother (based on court/police records, coparent or self-report);
• • have a currently open or recently investigated (in the last 6 months) case with CT DCF
• • are able to complete assessments in English;
• • agree to have their female coparents (mother of target child) contacted as collateral informants and for consent for participation of their child. If a participant has more than one child in the age range, the youngest will be selected;
• • female coparents (i.e., biological mother who need not be in a relationship with the father) consents to (at minimum) provide parent-report on child; however, may opt out of child participation. If the coparent agrees to participate by providing caregiver-report on child symptoms, but declines participation of their shared child, the father may still participate in the study if he meets eligibility criteria outlined below; thus, preventing any possible retaliation against co-parents for not consenting to child participation.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• Fathers will be excluded based on the following exclusion criteria:
• • an active full/no contact protective order pertaining to their child because this will preclude participation in the father-child play assessment (many men will have protective orders pertaining to their partners, but it is more common for men to still be allowed contact with their children);
• • physiological addiction to a substance that requires detoxification. Fathers will be evaluated using the Drug Abuse Screening Test and AUDIT. If fathers report significant difficulties with physiological withdrawal (e.g., alcohol tremors or dope sickness) they will be referred for detox services. They can be re-evaluated following a detox program with documentation from the detox center of successful completion and clean urine screen;
• • cognitive impairment that will not allow for understanding of the study interventions (a mini mental state score \<25);
• • current untreated psychotic disorder;
• • currently suicidal or homicidal ideation based on screening using the BSI; or
• • previously participated in F4C or a BIP.