Preventing Child Abuse in Infants
Infant-Parent Psychotherapy
+ Child Protective Services
+ Psychoeducational Home Visitation
Child Abuse
See all eligibility criteria
Prevention Study
See protocol details
Summary
The purpose of this study is to compare 2 approaches (interventions) to prevent child-abuse (maltreatment) in infants: Psychoeducational Home Visitation (PHV) vs Infant-Parent Psychotherapy (IPP). Non-maltreated infants and their mothers are studied as a comparison group. Twelve-month-old infants and their mothers are assigned randomly (like tossing a coin) to receive 1 of 3 types of intervention for 12 months: 1) Services normally available in the community when a family is reported for child maltreatment (Child Protective Services, CPS); 2) CPS involvement plus weekly PHV; 3) CPS involvement plus weekly IPP. Intervention will be provided until the infant's second birthday. All mother-infant pairs (including comparison non-maltreated infants and their mothers) will be assessed when the infant is 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48 months old. Assessments will look at the effectiveness of the intervention in preventing child maltreatment, improving parenting, and reducing future abuse. The study will last for 3 years. Eligibility includes a mother and her 12-month-old child that has been abused by her (the mother) or the father. (Non-maltreated infants and their mothers also will be enrolled.) To evaluate the relative effectiveness of 2 theoretically-informed approaches to preventing the adverse sequelae of maltreatment in infants: Psychoeducational Home Visitation (PHV) and Infant-Parent Psychotherapy (IPP). Non-maltreated infants and their mothers serve as a comparison. Maltreated infants and their mothers are randomly assigned to 1 of 3 types of intervention for 12 months: 1) Services routinely available in the community when a family is reported for child maltreatment (Child Protective Services, CPS); 2) CPS involvement plus weekly PHV; 3) CPS involvement plus weekly IPP. Intervention is provided until the infant's second birthday. All mother-infant dyads (including comparison non-maltreated infants and their mothers) participate in baseline assessments at the infant's age of 12 months. Subsequent assessments occur at 18, 24, 36, and 48 months of age. Assessments measure three major areas: 1) family-ecological variables; 2) maternal functioning and parenting; and 3) child functioning and stage-salient issues. CPS records are monitored annually across all groups to determine whether any reports of maltreatment have been filed.
Protocol
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.In this clinical study, participants are placed into groups randomly, like flipping a coin. This ensures that the study is fair and unbiased, making the results more reliable. By assigning participants by chance, researchers can better compare treatments without external influences.
Other Ways to Assign Participants
Non-randomized allocation: Participants are assigned based on specific factors, such as their medical condition or a doctor's decision.
None (Single-arm trial): If the study has only one group, all participants receive the same treatment, and no allocation is needed.
Eligibility
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.Conditions
Criteria
