Parenting STAIR: Adapting a Trauma-Focused Parenting Intervention for Military-Connected Mothers and Their Children

Conditions

• Depression
• PTSD
• Parent-Child Relations

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

FEMALE

Age

18 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• Parenting-STAIR Modular (PSTAIR-M) — BEHAVIORAL
  12-16 PSTAIR-M treatment sessions (approximately 12-16 weeks).
• Treatment as Usual (TAU) — BEHAVIORAL
  Weekly treatment sessions of an established EBT. The total number of sessions/weeks will be determined by the EBT and clinic protocols.

Study Details

The goal of this study is to assess Parenting STAIR Modular (PSTAIR-M), a promising and innovative intervention for military-connected mothers (MCM) who have experienced trauma and their young children (ages 2-10). PSTAIR-M aims to help mothers manage the strong feelings that sometimes happen after experiencing something scary or stressful, as well as to better connect with their children and manage their behavior effectively. The main questions the study aims to answer are: 1) Does PSTAIR-M reduce maternal PTSD and/or depression symptoms?, and 2) Does PSTAIR-M improve parental functioning? Researchers will compare PSTAIR-M to treatment as usual (TAU) - other EBTs offered at participating study sites - to determine if PSTAIR-M is more effective in improving mental health and parenting. Participants will: 1) attend 12-16 weekly, 1-hour online treatment sessions with their assigned clinicians, 2) complete three 1-hour online assessments administered by research staff, 3) engage with their child in three 15-30-minute online, observed play sessions, and 4) have assessments audio and video recorded.

Key Dates

Start date

Jul 21, 2025

Status verified

Oct 2025

Primary completion

May 31, 2026

Completion

Sep 30, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

120 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: Parenting STAIR Modular (PSTAIR-M)
  PSTAIR-M is a culturally adapted, 12-16-session modular intervention which combines elements of two existing EBTs: Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR), targeting maternal trauma and emotion dysregulation, and dyadic Parent-Child Care (PC-CARE), targeting parenting.
• Active Comparator: Treatment as Usual (TAU)
  Treatment as usual (TAU) is defined as an established EBT that is already being delivered at the study sites on an ongoing basis. Possible EBTs include prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and emotion-focused therapy. Clinicians treating participants randomly assigned to TAU will determine the most appropriate course of treatment based on established clinic protocols for treatment assignment.

Primary Outcome Measure

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist 5 [ Time Frame: PCL-5 will be administered at three assessment timepoints: pre-treatment (baseline), mid-treatment (after session 11, approximately 11 weeks after baseline), and post-treatment (approximately 17 weeks after baseline). ]

Central Contacts

• Kathrine S Sullivan, PhD
  3235526056
  [email protected]
• Gina M Angelotti, MPH
  6462671807
  [email protected]

Locations (3)

Find similar trials in El Paso, TX

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