El-Khani, A, Asif, M, Shahzad, S, Bux, MS, Maalouf, W, Rafiq, NUZ, Khoso, AB, Chaudhry, IB, Van Hout, MC, Zadeh, Z, Tahir, A, Memon, R, Chaudhry, N and Husain, N (2024) Assessing the efficacy of a brief universal family skills programme on child behaviour and family functioning in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan: Protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial of the Strong Families programme. BMJ Open, 14 (6). pp. 1-9. ISSN 2044-6055

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Abstract

Purpose The global burden of mental health difficulties among children underscores the importance of early prevention. This study aims to assess the efficacy, feasibility and acceptability of the Strong Families programme in enhancing child behaviour and family functioning in low-resource settings in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Methods and analysis This is a two-arm, multisite feasibility randomised controlled trial with an embedded process evaluation in three districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, namely Gilgit, Hunza and Skardu. 90 families living in these challenged settings, comprising a female primary caregiver aged 18 or above, and at least one child aged 8-15 years, will participate. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive the Strong Families programme or to the waitlist group. Strong Families is a 7-hour family skills group intervention programme attended by children and their primary caregivers over 3 weeks. The waitlist group will be offered the intervention after their outcome assessment. Three raters will conduct blind assessments at baseline, 2 and 6 weeks postintervention. The primary outcome measures include the feasibility of Strong Families, as determined by families' recruitment and attendance rates, and programme completeness (mean number of sessions attended, attrition rates). The secondary outcomes include assessment of child behaviour, parenting practices, parental adjustment and child resilience. Purposefully selected participants, including up to five caregivers from each site, researchers and facilitators delivering the intervention, will be interviewed. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyse primary and secondary outcomes. The process evaluation will be conducted in terms of programme context, reach, fidelity, dose delivered and received, implementation, and recruitment. Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the UNODC Drug Prevention and Health Branch in the Headquarters office of Vienna and the National Bioethics Committee of Pakistan. Findings will be disseminated through publication in reputable journals, newsletters and presentations at conferences. Trial registration number NCT05933850.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Humans; Feasibility Studies; Program Evaluation; Child Behavior; Parenting; Family Therapy; Adolescent; Child; Pakistan; Female; Male; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Feasibility Studies; MENTAL HEALTH; PUBLIC HEALTH; Randomized Controlled Trial; Humans; Pakistan; Child; Feasibility Studies; Adolescent; Female; Child Behavior; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Male; Family Therapy; Program Evaluation; Parenting; 1103 Clinical Sciences; 1117 Public Health and Health Services; 1199 Other Medical and Health Sciences
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services
Divisions:	Public Health Institute
Publisher:	BMJ
SWORD Depositor:	A Symplectic
Date Deposited:	15 Jul 2024 12:52
Last Modified:	15 Jul 2024 13:00
DOI or ID number:	10.1136/bmjopen-2023-081557
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/23746

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