Exploring the Effectiveness of Online Self-help for Parents of Children With Food Allergies
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
This study aims to conduct an initial evaluation of whether online self-help can improve the quality of life of parents of children with food allergies.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
This study is a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing online self-help for parents of children with food allergies with a wait-list control. A battery of self-report measures will be administered online at baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 4) and at follow-up (week 8).
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Online self-help A website providing information and psycho-education aimed at parents and carers of children with food allergies. |
Other: Online self-help
As detailed in experimental arm description.
|
| No Intervention: Wait list control A waiting list control group, who will receive access to the online self-help once the RCT is complete. |
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Change from baseline at 4-weeks on the Food Allergy Quality of Life Parental Burden scale [Post-intervention (4-weeks after baseline)]
This measures parental burden when caring for a food-allergic child, producing a score between 17 and 119, with higher scores indicating greater burden.
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Change from baseline at 8-weeks on the Food Allergy Quality of Life Parental Burden scale [Follow-up (8-weeks after baseline)]
This measures parental burden when caring for a food-allergic child, producing a score between 17 and 119, with higher scores indicating greater burden.
- Change from baseline at 4-weeks on the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale 8 [Post-intervention (4-weeks after baseline)]
This measures symptoms of depression, producing a score between 0 and 24, with higher scores indicating greater symptomatology.
- Change from baseline at 8-weeks on the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale 8 [Follow-up (8-weeks after baseline)]
This measures symptoms of depression, producing a score between 0 and 24, with higher scores indicating greater symptomatology.
- Change from baseline at 4-weeks on the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 scale [Post-intervention (4-weeks after baseline)]
This measures symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder, producing a score between 0 and 21, with higher scores indicating greater symptomatology.
- Change from baseline at 8-weeks on the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 scale [Follow-up (8-weeks after baseline)]
This measures symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder, producing a score between 0 and 21, with higher scores indicating greater symptomatology.
- Change from baseline at 4-weeks on the Perceived Stress Scale (10 items) [Post-intervention (4-weeks after baseline)]
This produces a score between 0 and 40, with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived stress.
- Change from baseline at 8-weeks on the Perceived Stress Scale (10 items) [Follow-up (8-weeks after baseline)]
This produces a score between 0 and 40, with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived stress.
Other Outcome Measures
- Change from baseline at 4-weeks on the Food Allergy Self-Efficacy Scale for Parents [Post-intervention (4-weeks after baseline)]
This measures a parent's confidence in managing their child's food allergy, producing a score between 0 and 100, with higher scores indicating greater confidence.
- Change from baseline at 8-weeks on the Food Allergy Self-Efficacy Scale for Parents [Follow-up (8-weeks after baseline)]
This measures a parent's confidence in managing their child's food allergy, producing a score between 0 and 100, with higher scores indicating greater confidence.
- Change from baseline at 4-weeks on the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale [Post-intervention (4-weeks after baseline)]
This measures participants' ability to tolerate uncertainty, producing scores between 27 and 135, with higher scores indicating lower tolerance of uncertainty.
- Change from baseline at 8-weeks on the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale [Follow-up (8-weeks after baseline)]
This measures participants' ability to tolerate uncertainty, producing scores between 27 and 135, with higher scores indicating lower tolerance of uncertainty.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
-
Being a parent of at least one child (under the age of 18) who has a food allergy.
-
Adequate understanding of written English.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Having consulted on the design of the self-help website.
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salomons Centre for Applied Psychology, Canterbury Christ Church University | Tunbridge Wells | Kent | United Kingdom | TN1 2YG |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Canterbury Christ Church University
- Brighton & Sussex Medical School
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Naomi Sugunasingha, BSc, PGCert, Canterbury Christ Church University
- Study Director: Fergal Jones, PhD, PsychD, Canterbury Christ Church University
- Study Director: Christina Jones, PhD, Brighton & Sussex Medical School
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- NaomiSugunasinghaMRP2017