Supporting Parents & Kids Through Lockdown Experiences (SPARKLE).

Supporting Parents & Kids Through Lockdown Experiences (SPARKLE): A Parallel Randomised Controlled Trial of a Digital Parenting Support Application Implemented in the General Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced access to childcare, money- and health-related worries and extended confinement and social isolation have placed great pressure on many families. There is evidence that many parents in the UK have struggled to manage their children's behaviour. For instance, Co-SPACE, an ongoing UK-wide study led by the University of Oxford, found a significant increase in parents reporting behavioural problems in children and an increase in family-related stress in response to various local and national lockdowns. Co-SPACE has also found up to 70% of parents reported wanting additional support.

The SPARKLE (Supporting Parents and Kids through Lockdown Experiences) study aims to address this pressing need. SPARKLE is a rapid-deployment randomised controlled trial evaluating whether a digital public health parenting intervention can help parents to manage their children's behaviour problems, as impacted by the COVID-19 UK pandemic and lockdowns.

We aim to evaluate whether the negative effects of the pandemic can by reversed by providing parenting advice digitally, using a specially-designed app, Parent Positive. The Parent Positive app will provide advice to parents through animations, delivering messages carefully selected by parents and experts in the field. The messages will be supplemented with practical parenting resources and an opportunity to network with other parents for peer support. The animations are light-hearted, humorous and non-judgmental and are delivered by eight high-profile celebrities who are also parents.

The SPARKLE study will involve 616 Co-SPACE parents, half of whom will receive access to the Parent Positive app and half who won't.

Inclusion Criteria:

• The Co-SPACE inclusion criteria will apply: participant is willing and able to give informed consent, must be at least 18 years old and lives in the UK.
• SPARKLE-specific criteria will be: participant (parent/caregiver) has a child aged 4-10 years and has access to a smartphone or tablet with operating system OS 8-9 or higher (Android devices) or iOS 12-13 or higher (Apple devices).

Exclusion Criteria:

• There will be no exclusion criteria. Participants will not be selected on the basis of pre-existing child conduct problems.