An online parenting intervention to prevent affective disorders in high-risk adolescents: a randomised controlled trial
Affective Disorders in high-risk adolescents
Active Intervention: The Partners in Parenting Personalised Programme The personalised programme assesses each parent in nine modifiable parental domains that have been endorsed by research evidence and international experts as important risk or protective factors, in order to identify the areas of parenting requiring improvement. The programme is then automatically personalised to each parent, ensuring that all areas for improvement (i.e. all risk and protective factors relevant to that parent) are targeted. The personalised programme comprises two individually tailored components: 1. An automated feedback report highlighting areas of strength and how parents can improve, which is provided immediately after parents complete an online measure assessing their current parenting practices; and 2. An interactive programme comprising up to nine modules, with a different combination of modules specifically recommended for each parent based on identified areas for improvement. When parents first see their recommended modules, they can further personalise their programme by deselecting recommended modules and/or selecting additional modules. They then confirm their selection and commence their personalised programme. The nine modules cover the nine parenting domains developed by our Australian collaborators, titled How to prevent depression and anxiety in your teenager: Strategies for parents. When parents log in to their personalised dashboard on the Partners in Parenting website, they see their modules and any goals they have set, as well as their progress. Modules include illustrations, audio clips, vignettes, goal-setting exercises, and an end-of-module quiz with immediate feedback to consolidate learning. Each module takes 15-20 minutes to complete, and one module per week is unlocked for parents, in a set order. Control group: The Partners in Parenting Standard Educational Package Parents in the control arm will be provided with a standardised package of online e
1. Provision of written informed consent 2. The target population is parents of young adolescents (aged 11-15 years). Parents include all primary caregivers, including non-biological parents, grandparents, and legal guardians. 3. Sufficient literacy levels to understand and engage with content delivered aurally or visually in English, and has regular access to the Internet and a personal email account (for email communication) or cell phone number (text messaging communication). Early adolescence represents the highest risk period for developing depression. 4. Adolescents scoring 5 above on the SDQ Emotional Problems subscale, indicating a higher-than-average risk for emotional problems.
1. Unable to complete the online parenting intervention 2. Previous entry or randomisation in the present trial. 3. Participation in a clinical trial of a parenting intervention in the last 90 days.