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| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada | OTHER |
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This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the eParenting CARE Program, an asynchronous, self-guided emotion-focused parenting intervention for parents of school-aged children (8-13 years). The eParenting CARE Program focuses on strengthening parent emotion regulation (ER) and supportive emotion socialization (ES) practices to promote children's ER and emotional well-being. Parent ER and ES are well-established predictors of children's emotional development, and difficulties in these domains are associated with increased risk for child emotional and behavioural problems.
The long-term goal of this work is to improve family well-being and children's emotional functioning by developing an accessible and scalable online parenting intervention that can be delivered flexibly and with minimal barriers to participation. This pilot study will inform the refinement and future evaluation of the eParenting CARE Program through a feasibility-focused design.
We will achieve this through the following key objectives:
Findings from this pilot study will inform the development of future controlled trials and support the broader dissemination of accessible, emotion-focused parenting interventions aimed at promoting emotional well-being in parents and children.
Detailed Description Early difficulties with emotion regulation (ER) in parents, including challenges managing stress, frustration, and negative affect, are well-established risk factors for the development of children's own ER difficulties and broader emotional and behavioural problems. Parent ER and ES practices play a central role in children's emotional development through modeling, coaching, and responses to children's emotional experiences, consistent with intergenerational and family-based models of emotional development (Morris et al., 2007). When parents experience difficulties regulating their own emotions, they may be more likely to respond to children's emotions in dismissive, punitive, or inconsistent ways, which can interfere with the development of adaptive ER skills in children.
The eParenting CARE Program was designed to strengthen parent ER and promote supportive ES practices in order to improve children's ER abilities and overall emotional well-being. The program integrates evidence-based strategies drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and emotion coaching frameworks. The intervention focuses on building parents' internal ER capacities alongside practical parenting strategies, recognizing that parents' ability to regulate their own emotions is foundational to implementing supportive responses to children's emotional needs. The eParenting CARE Program is delivered in an asynchronous, self-guided online format to reduce common barriers to participation such as scheduling constraints, childcare demands, and geographic access limitations.
This project addresses a gap in the existing literature by evaluating a parent-focused, asynchronous emotion-focused parenting intervention for families of school-aged children. While synchronous and in-person emotion-focused parenting programs have demonstrated effectiveness, fewer studies have examined the feasibility and acceptability of fully self-guided formats that may offer greater scalability and accessibility. By focusing on parent ER and ES as primary intervention targets, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of how family-focused, digitally delivered supports can promote positive emotional development in children while supporting parental well-being.
The current study will conduct a single-group, mixed-methods feasibility pilot trial to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the eParenting CARE Program when delivered in an asynchronous online format. Parents or legal guardians of children aged 8 to 13 years will be recruited to participate. Participants will complete baseline assessments prior to beginning the intervention and post-intervention assessments following completion of the five-module program. A subset of participants will also complete semi-structured qualitative interviews to provide detailed feedback on program usability, engagement, barriers to participation, and recommendations for future implementation.
The primary aim of the study is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of the eParenting CARE Program, as indexed by recruitment, retention, program completion, and participant satisfaction. The secondary, exploratory aims are to examine pre- to post-intervention changes in parent ER, parent ES behaviours, and parent-reported child ER. Additional exploratory outcomes include identifying implementation challenges and facilitators that may inform future refinements to the program and guide the design of subsequent randomized controlled trials.
Findings from this study are expected to inform the development and optimization of accessible, emotion-focused parenting interventions and provide preliminary data to support future large-scale evaluations. Results will be disseminated through academic publication and shared with clinical, community, and educational stakeholders to support the broader application of family-focused approaches to promoting emotional well-being in children and parents.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| eParenting CARE Program | Experimental | Asynchronously delivered eParenting CARE Program |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eParenting CARE Program | Behavioral | The eParenting CARE Program is a five-module, asynchronous, self-guided online parenting intervention designed to improve parent emotion regulation and supportive emotion socialization practices. The intervention is delivered via a secure web-based platform requiring participant login and is intended to be completed over approximately five weeks. Program content integrates evidence-based strategies drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and emotion coaching frameworks. Each module includes brief instructional videos, written psychoeducational materials, guided self-reflection exercises, and take-home activities to support skill practice. Core topics include parent self-care and emotion regulation, identifying and labeling emotions, cognitive and behavioral regulation strategies, supportive parenting responses to children's emotions, and maintenance of skills. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Program Feasibility (Recruitment, Retention, and Completion) | Feasibility will be assessed using descriptive indicators of recruitment, enrollment, retention, and intervention completion. Retention is defined as the proportion of participants who complete at least 60% of the program modules. Completion rates across modules will be used to evaluate participant engagement and practicality of delivering the intervention in an asynchronous online format. A higher score indicates a greater program feasibility and acceptability. | From enrollment through completion of the intervention (5 weeks) |
| Program Acceptability (Participant Satisfaction) | Acceptability will be assessed using selected items from the Rockwood Group Satisfaction Scale (Marshall & Serran, 2010), a self-report measure of participant satisfaction with intervention content and delivery. Parents will rate their satisfaction with the program's clarity, usefulness, structure, and overall experience at post-intervention. Higher scores indicate greater acceptability of the intervention and delivery format. | Post-Intervention (T2) - 5 weeks after program onset implementation |
| Participant Engagement with the Intervention | Participant engagement will be assessed using platform-generated usage data, including module access and progression through program content. Engagement metrics will be summarized descriptively to evaluate adherence to the intended intervention dose and identify patterns of participation across modules. A higher score indicates a greater program engagement. | Throughout the intervention period (5 weeks) |
| Implementation Barriers and Facilitators (Qualitative Interviews) | Implementation-related barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for improvement will be assessed using semi-structured qualitative interviews with a subset of participants following program completion. Interviews explore participant experiences with program usability, engagement, and perceived value. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Parent Emotion Regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale; DERS) | Parent emotion regulation will be assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004), a self-report questionnaire measuring difficulties across multiple domains of emotion regulation, including emotional awareness, acceptance, impulse control, and access to regulation strategies. Higher total scores indicate greater emotion regulation difficulties. |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGill University | Montreal | Quebec | H3A 1Y2 | Canada |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000092862 | Psychological Well-Being |
| D000080103 | Emotional Regulation |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D010549 | Personal Satisfaction |
| D001519 | Behavior |
| D000068356 | Self-Control |
| D012919 | Social Behavior |
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| Post-Intervention (within 2-4 weeks following program completion) |
| Pre-Intervention (T1) - prior to the program implementation and Post-Intervention (T2) - 5 weeks after program onset implementation |
| Parent Emotion Socialization (Emotions as a Child Scale; EAC) | Parent emotion socialization practices will be assessed using the Emotions as a Child Scale (EAC; Magai & O'Neal, 1997), which measures parental responses to children's emotions (e.g., anger, sadness, fear). Subscales assess supportive and unsupportive responses, including rewarding, overriding, punitive, neglectful, and magnifying reactions. The Emotions as a Child Scale (EAC; Magai & O'Neal, 1997) typically uses a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Never/Not at all, 5 = Very Often/Very Much) to assess parental socialization of emotions, with scores averaged across items. Higher average scores indicate a higher frequency of a specific, or combined, parental response strategy. It assesses five dimensions: Reward, Punish, Override, Neglect, and Magnify. | Pre-Intervention (T1) - prior to the program implementation and Post-Intervention (T2) - 5 weeks after program onset implementation |
| Child Emotion Regulation (Parent-Report; DERS-Parent Report) | Child emotion regulation will be assessed using the parent-report version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-P; Gratz & Roemer, 2004; Weinberg & Klonsky, 2009). This measure assesses parents' perceptions of their child's difficulties regulating emotions across domains such as impulse control, emotional clarity, and access to regulation strategies. Higher scores indicate greater difficulties. The DERS (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale) parent report, used to assess a child's emotion regulation, typically yields a total raw score ranging from 36 to 180. Higher scores indicate greater difficulties in emotion regulation. The scale uses a 5-point Likert scale (1=Almost Never to 5=Almost Always). The Total Score Ranges between 36-180. Subscale range from: Non-acceptance: 6-30; Goals: 5-25; Impulse: 6-30; Awareness: 6-30; and Strategies: 8-40. | Pre-Intervention (T1) - prior to the program implementation and Post-Intervention (T2) - 5 weeks after program onset implementation |