Building Regulation in Dual Generations 2022-2025

Child Development Clinical Trial

— BRIDGE  

Official title:

Building Regulation in Dual Generations (BRIDGE) 2022-2025

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05959538
• Other study ID #: BRIDGE 2022-2025
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: October 28, 2022
• Est. completion date: October 30, 2024

Study information

• Verified date: May 2023
• Source: University of Manitoba
• Contact: Leslie E Roos, PhD
• Phone: 2044747400
• Email: leslie.roos[@]umanitoba.ca
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This randomized control trial aims to investigate whether a novel intervention, the "Building Regulation in Dual Generations (BRIDGE)" program, improves mental wellness and parenting practices among mothers of 3 to 5-year-old children who have elevated symptoms of depression. The main two questions this study aims to answer are:

• Does participation in the BRIDGE program reduce maternal depression symptoms?

• Does participation in the BRIDGE program improve children's mental health?

Researchers will compare the BRIDGE intervention to an established mental health intervention (i.e., Dialectical Behaviour Therapy skills group) and to a services-as-usual control group to see if participation in BRIDGE leads to greater improvements than either the general mental health treatment or community services as usual.

Participants will:

• Complete a set of questionnaires pre- and post-intervention, and at 6-month follow-up.

• Complete a virtual assessment with their child at pre- and post-intervention.

• Be randomized to BRIDGE, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy(DBT) skills group, or a services-as-usual control group.

• Participate in the 16-week BRIDGE or DBT Skills only group, if randomized to either of these groups. If they are randomized to services-as-usual they will receive a list of community resources they can access.

• Complete weekly symptom monitoring via questionnaires, if randomized to BRIDGE or DBT Skills

• Wear a Fitbit device during pre- and post-intervention, as well as throughout the 16-week intervention period.

Description:

Diagnosed in 10-15% of children worldwide, childhood mental illness [MI] remains a prominent public health concern. Early exposure to maternal depression is a notable risk factor for the development of childhood MI. Maternal depression is most common in the first few years following childbirth, and clinically significant depressive symptoms are on the rise, with recent estimates at 26.9% for mothers worldwide. This increase highlights the current and critical need for interventions to address maternal depression and the prevention of childhood MI concurrently.

To simultaneously address maternal and child MI, the Building Regulation in Dual Generations (BRIDGE) group-based intervention was created. BRIDGE aims to increase intergenerational emotion regulation by pairing Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills training with a theoretically aligned parenting skills program. DBT has been shown to be a propitious transdiagnostic treatment for underlying mechanisms of psychopathology, including emotion regulation difficulties common in depression, anxiety, and traumatic stress.

Developmentally supportive parenting requires mothers to have the ability to regulate emotions effectively; in so doing, a mother can simultaneously limit over-reactive responses within themselves and towards their child, as well as teach their child about emotions. These objectives map nicely to the skills being learned in DBT. Within BRIDGE, the aligned parenting content also includes best-practice behaviour management training techniques, such as creating positive family routines and using positive reinforcement, framed within the context of DBT skills. The integration of DBT with parenting programs in BRIDGE is a promising approach for addressing intergenerational needs.

The current study will expand on previous evaluations of BRIDGE by conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing (1) BRIDGE (DBT skills training + Parenting Skills), (2) DBT (DBT skills training only), and (3) services as usual (SAU). Our primary aim is to examine the effects of BRIDGE on maternal depression and child MI symptoms. We hypothesize that participants who receive the BRIDGE and DBT interventions will report fewer depressive symptoms than participants in the SAU group. Participants who receive the BRIDGE intervention are hypothesized to report fewer child MI symptoms than those in the DBT and SAU groups.

A secondary aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of BRIDGE in reducing parenting stress and harsh parenting. Participants who receive the BRIDGE intervention are hypothesized to show lower levels of parenting stress and harsh parenting than those in the DBT and SAU groups.

Interim analyses of primary and secondary outcomes will be conducted at the mid-way point of the RCT, when approximately 90 participants have completed the post-intervention questionnaires (T2). Minor changes in intervention delivery (e.g., offering optional in-person group therapy, updating DBT homework, changing video production) may be made based on results from interim analyses. Any changes to intervention delivery will be documented in a protocol deviation document.

Additional aims of the RCT are to examine the effects of BRIDGE and DBT on family relationships, other service use (e.g., hospital visits, interactions with police), and maternal psychopathology symptoms. The investigators hypothesize that mothers who receive the BRIDGE or DBT intervention will report lower psychopathology symptoms, reduced service use, and improved family relationship quality. The investigators will also assess participants' engagement in each intervention.

Exploratory outcomes of observed maternal sensitivity and child emotion regulation will also be examined via remote Zoom assessments. The investigators hypothesize that mothers in the BRIDGE group will show greater maternal sensitivity and that their children will demonstrate improved emotion regulation, more than those in the DBT or SAU groups.

Additional exploratory outcomes will come from physiological feedback and coparent participation. Physiological indices of wellbeing (e.g., sleep and daily activity) will be measured via Fitbits that mothers will wear during the program. The investigators hypothesize that participants who receive the BRIDGE or DBT interventions will display improved sleep quality and reduced sedentary behaviour.

The investigators will invite participants' co-parents to complete questionnaires on their own mental health and family relationships. Inviting co-parents to complete questionnaires during this trial is exploratory and will allow us to evaluate the feasibility of including assessments of co-parents in future trials. The investigators hypothesize that some spill-over effects of the BRIDGE and DBT interventions may occur, such that co-parents of participants in either intervention group will show fewer MI symptoms and improved family relationship quality.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 180
• Est. completion date: October 30, 2024
• Est. primary completion date: October 30, 2024
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have at least one 3-5-year-old child.

• Residing in Manitoba or British Columbia, Canada.

• Report elevated symptoms of depression (PHQ-9 score =10) at the eligibility screener, pre-randomization.

• Self-identify as being comfortable understanding, speaking and reading English.

• Self-identify as having internet access.

• Report being available to attend telehealth groups.

• Report being willing to complete pre- and post-intervention questionnaires.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Mothers who report a suicide attempt in the past year or who have engaged in self-harm that required medical attention in the past 6 months will not be eligible to participate in the study, as the BRIDGE program is not intended to address these mental health needs.

• In addition, mothers who report a diagnosis of, or treatment for, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder, Substance Use Disorder, or Psychotic Disorder in the last year will be followed up with a senior clinician to evaluate whether the BRIDGE program would be suitable for their needs. If the clinician (through consultation with clinical leads) indicates that the participant will be able to participate and engage in BRIDGE and/or DBT as the program is to be delivered, they will be considered eligible. Some participants may be encouraged to follow-up with group clinicians to ensure their mental health needs are being managed appropriately within or outside of the group.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Child Development
• Child Mental Disorder
• Depression
• Maternal Depression
• Mental Disorders
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Building Regulation in Dual Generations (BRIDGE)
The BRIDGE intervention includes 16 weeks of 20-30 minute DBT and parenting skills training videos, delivered asynchronously via an online website requiring a participant login. Video content was drawn from concepts outlined in the DBT Skills Training Manual 2nd Edition (Linehan, 2015). Parenting videos will provide mothers with parenting skills education based on best practices in evidence-based positive parenting interventions (e.g., Parent Management Training, Positive Parenting, Kazdin, 1997; Sanders et al., 2014). The BRIDGE condition also includes weekly synchronous 1-hour virtual group therapy sessions and worksheets to complete weekly (as an opportunity to practice skill use). The clinical team will consist of two Master's or PhD level clinical psychology trainees and a parent peer coach. Mood tracking will be completed using a brief weekly survey, including questions on depression, parenting stress, positive mood, and recent stressful experiences.
• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Skill Training
Participants in the DBT arm will participate in 16 weeks of DBT skills training only led by two Master's or PhD level clinical psychology trainees. Participants in the DBT Skills condition will participate in a skills group which follows the DBT Skills Training Manual 2nd Edition (Linehan, 2015) through weekly, synchronous 1.5-hour virtual group therapy sessions. Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Distress Tolerance, and Interpersonal Effectiveness skill domains will be covered. Participants will be asked to complete worksheets between sessions to practice using skills, and will be asked to complete a Diary Card to track DBT skills use each week (Linehan, 2015). Mood tracking will be completed using a brief weekly survey including questions on depression, parenting stress, positive mood, and recent stressful experiences.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	University of Manitoba - Department of Psychology	Winnipeg	Manitoba

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of Manitoba	Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

References & Publications (23)

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Pederson, D. R., Moran, G., & Bento, S. (1999). Maternal behaviour Q-sort.

Pilkonis PA, Choi SW, Reise SP, Stover AM, Riley WT, Cella D; PROMIS Cooperative Group. Item banks for measuring emotional distress from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS(R)): depression, anxiety, and anger. Assessment. 2011 Sep;18(3):263-83. doi: 10.1177/1073191111411667. Epub 2011 Jun 21. — View Citation

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Racine N, Eirich R, Cooke J, Zhu J, Pador P, Dunnewold N, Madigan S. When the Bough Breaks: A systematic review and meta-analysis of mental health symptoms in mothers of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Infant Ment Health J. 2022 Jan;43(1):36-54. doi: 10.1002/imhj.21959. Epub 2021 Dec 28. — View Citation

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Shonkoff JP, Fisher PA. Rethinking evidence-based practice and two-generation programs to create the future of early childhood policy. Dev Psychopathol. 2013 Nov;25(4 Pt 2):1635-53. doi: 10.1017/S0954579413000813. — View Citation

Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Lowe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006 May 22;166(10):1092-7. doi: 10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092. — View Citation

Swales DA, Snyder HR, Hankin BL, Sandman CA, Glynn LM, Davis EP. Maternal Depressive Symptoms Predict General Liability in Child Psychopathology. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2022 Jan-Feb;51(1):85-96. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2020.1723598. Epub 2020 Mar 27. — View Citation

Wang L, Wu T, Anderson JL, Florence JE. Prevalence and risk factors of maternal depression during the first three years of child rearing. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2011 May;20(5):711-8. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2010.2232. Epub 2011 Mar 22. — View Citation

Yu L, Buysse DJ, Germain A, Moul DE, Stover A, Dodds NE, Johnston KL, Pilkonis PA. Development of short forms from the PROMIS sleep disturbance and Sleep-Related Impairment item banks. Behav Sleep Med. 2011 Dec 28;10(1):6-24. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2012.636266. — View Citation

Zalewski, M., Maliken, A. C., Lengua, L. J., Martin, C. G., Roos, L. E., & Everett, Y. (2020). Integrating dialectical behavior therapy with child and parent training interventions: A narrative and theoretical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.

Zimet GD, Powell SS, Farley GK, Werkman S, Berkoff KA. Psychometric characteristics of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. J Pers Assess. 1990 Winter;55(3-4):610-7. doi: 10.1080/00223891.1990.9674095. — View Citation

* Note: There are 23 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Change in couples' relationship satisfaction.	Using the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI-4), the investigators will examine participants' satisfaction with their romantic relationships. The CSI-4 contains 4 -items. Total scores range from 0-21, with higher scores indicating greater relationship satisfaction.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in social support.	The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) will be used to measure participant's levels of social support from significant others, family, and friends. Scores can range from 12-84. Higher scores indicated higher levels of perceived social support.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in parenting practices related to children's negative emotions.	The Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES) presents hypothetical scenarios in which a child gets upset or angry. Parents are asked to indicate the degree to which the parent responds to each scenario in 6 theoretically meaningful ways of coping with children's negative emotions. The CCNES has 6 subscales: Problem-Focused Reactions (PRF), Emotion-Focused Reactions (EFR), Expressive Encouragement (EE), Minimization Reactions (MR), Punitive Reactions PR), and Distress Reactions (DR). Each subscale has a score range from 12-84. Higher scores on each subscale represent higher levels of that type of parenting response (e.g., high expressive encouragement scores represent parenting practices in which parents encourage their children to express their emotions).	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in anxiety symptoms.	Anxiety symptoms will be measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7). The GAD-7 contains 7 items with possible scores ranging from 0 to 21. Higher scores represent higher levels of anxiety symptoms.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in self-compassion.	The Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF) will be used to measure changes in participants' self-compassion. Possible scores range from 12-60, with higher scores indicating high levels of self-compassion.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in anger.	Changes in anger will be measured using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anger subscale. The subscale contains 5-items with scores ranging from 5-25. Higher scores indicate more anger.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in sleep disturbance.	The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Sleep Disturbance Subscale Short Form will be used to measure change in sleep disturbances. The subscale contains 8 items. Total scores range from 8 to 40 with higher scores indicating greater severity of sleep disturbance.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in alcohol use.	The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) will be used to measure participants' use of alcohol. The AUDIT contains 10 question and scores may range from 10 to 40. Higher scores indicate greater hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in cannabis use.	The Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test (CUDIT) will be used to measure participants' cannabis use. The scale contains 8 items. Scores may range from 0 to 32. Higher scores indicate more hazardous cannabis use.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in observed maternal sensitivity	Participants and their children will attend pre- and post-intervention virtual assessments, where they will be asked to complete a free-play and clean-up task, which will be video recorded. Video recordings of the task will be coded using the Maternal Q-Sort developed by Pederson et al. (1999).	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1) and within a month following the intervention.
Other	Change in observed child emotional regulation	Participants and their children will attend pre- and post-intervention virtual assessments, where children will be asked to complete an emotion-inducing task, which will be video recorded. Video recordings of the task will be coded using a coding scheme developed by the research team.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1) and within a month following the intervention.
Other	Change in health and social services use.	A self-report scale created for use in this project will assess participants' use of 14 types of health and social services in the previous 3 months. The scale does not produce a total score; rather, the scale asks participants if they had accessed services, and if yes, the frequency of their use of those services.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in recent stressful experiences.	The Recent Stressful Experiences checklist (RSE) was developed by study authors, based on recommendations from the JBP Research Network on Toxic Stress at the Harvard's Center on the Developing Child, to measure familial exposure to various stressors which may affect participants (2022). The scale contains two items which ask about various stressors that participants may have experienced. Each of these items' scores can range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating more stressful experiences. The scale also contains five items assessing participants' ability to cope with stressful events. Scores for these five questions range from 4-21, with higher scores indicating a greater ability to cope with stress.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Program engagement	Program engagement will be assessed in a variety of ways. In both the BRIDGE and DBT Skills-only groups, clinicians will take attendance during therapy sessions. In the BRIDGE group, the investigators will extract aggregate data on the number of views on the psychoeducational videos using Google Analytics. At post-intervention, the investigators will ask participants to report about their use of the videos, homework assignments, and mood tracking throughout the intervention. Participants in the BRIDGE group will also complete a program acceptability questionnaire at post-intervention which was created by the investigators for this project. The program acceptability questionnaire asks participants to rate how important various program components were to them and includes several open-ended questions for participants to describe their experiences in the program.	Measured weekly throughout the 16-week program and immediately after the intervention (T2).
Other	Change in physical activity	Physical activity will be assessed via step-count using Fitbit devices worn by participants.	Measured at pre-intervention (T1), throughout the 16-week intervention, and for a month following the intervention.
Other	Change in sleep quality	Sleep quality will be measured throughout the intervention using Fitbit devices worn by participants.	Measured at pre-intervention (T1), throughout the 16-week intervention, and for a month following the intervention.
Other	Change in sleep duration	Sleep duration will be measured throughout the intervention using Fitbit devices worn by participants.	Measured at pre-intervention (T1), throughout the 16-week intervention, and for a month following the intervention.
Other	Change in heart rate	Heart rate will be measured throughout the intervention using Fitbit devices worn by participants.	Measured at pre-intervention (T1), throughout the 16-week intervention, and for a month following the intervention.
Other	Change in co-parents' depression symptoms.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The PHQ-9 will be used to measure co-parents' depression symptoms. The PHQ-9 is a 9-item self-report questionnaire with possible scores ranging from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' rating of child behaviour.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The CBCL will be used to assess co-parents' ratings of child behaviour. The CBCL is a parent-report questionnaire that measures child functioning across internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The CBCL contains 113 items, with scores ranging from 0-226. Higher scores indicated greater symptom severity.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' parenting stress.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The PSI-SF will be used to assess co-parents' parenting stress. The PSI-SF is a self-report questionnaire that requires respondents to answer questions regarding their overall experience with parenting stress using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Scores range from 36-180. Higher scores indicate higher levels of stress.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' harsh parenting.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires PS Overreactivity. Harsh parenting will be measured using the Overreactivity subscale of the Parenting Scale (PS). The Overreactivity subscale contains ten items related to harsh parenting behaviours. Harsh parenting includes expressing inappropriate anger, irritability, or meanness towards one's child. Total scores range from 10 to 70, with higher scores indicating higher levels of harsh parenting.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' couples' satisfaction.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. Using the Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI-4) the investigators will examine co-parents' satisfaction with their romantic relationships. The CSI-4 contains 4 -items. Total scores range from 0-21, with higher scores indicating greater relationship satisfaction.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' social support.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The MSPSS will be used to measure co-parents' social support. Scores can range from 12-84. Higher scores indicated higher levels of perceived social support.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' parenting practices related to children's negative emotions.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES) presents hypothetical scenarios in which a child gets upset or angry. Parents are asked to indicate the degree to which the parent responds to each scenario in 6 theoretically meaningful ways of coping with children's negative emotions. The CCNES has 6 subscales: Problem-Focused Reactions (PRF), Emotion-Focused Reactions (EFR), Expressive Encouragement (EE), Minimization Reactions (MR), Punitive Reactions PR), and Distress Reactions (DR). Each subscale has a score range from 12-84. Higher scores on each subscale represent higher levels of that type of parenting response (e.g., high expressive encouragement scores represent parenting practices in which parents encourage their children to express their emotions).	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents's self-compassion.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The SCS-SF will measure co-parents' self-compassion. Possible scores range from 12-60, with higher scores indicating high levels of self-compassion.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' anxiety symptoms.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. Anxiety symptoms will be measured using the GAD-7. The GAD-7 contains 7 items with possible scores ranging from 0 to 21. Higher scores represent higher levels of anxiety symptoms.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' anger.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. Changes in anger will be measured using PROMIS Anger subscale. The subscale contains 5-items with scores ranging from 5-25. Higher scores indicate more anger.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' sleep disturbances.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The PROMIS-Sleep Disturbance Subscale Short Form will be used to measure change in sleep disturbances. The subscale contains 8 items. Total scores range from 8 to 40 with higher scores indicating greater severity of sleep disturbance.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' alcohol use.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) will be used to measure coparents' use of alcohol. The AUDIT contains 10 question and scores may range from 10 to 40. Higher scores indicate greater hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' cannabis use.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test (CUDIT) will be used to measure coparents' cannabis use. The scale contains 8 items. Scores may range from 0 to 32. Higher scores indicate more hazardous cannabis use.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' recent stressful experiences.	Co-parents of participants will be invited to complete a set of questionnaires. The Recent Stressful Experiences checklist (RSE) was developed by study authors, based on recommendations from the JBP Research Network on Toxic Stress at the Harvard's Center on the Developing Child, to measure familial exposure to various stressors which may affect participants (2022). The scale contains two items which ask about various stressors that participants may have experienced. Each of these items' scores can range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating more stressful experiences. The scale also contains five items assessing participants' ability to cope with stressful events. Scores for these five questions range from 4-21, with higher scores indicating a greater ability to cope with stress.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Other	Change in co-parents' health and social services use.	A self-report scale created for use in this project will assess coparents' use of 14 types of health and social services in the previous 3 months. The scale does not produce a total score; rather, the scale asks participants if they had accessed services, and if yes, the frequency of their use of those services.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Primary	Change in depression symptoms	Depressive symptoms will be measured using the PHQ-9. The PHQ-9 is a 9-item self-report questionnaire with possible scores ranging from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.	The PHQ-9 will be assessed during eligibility screening, pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Primary	Change in child mental illness symptoms	Changes in child mental illness symptoms will be assessed using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). The CBCL is a parent-report questionnaire that measures child functioning across internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The CBCL contains 113 items, with scores ranging from 0-226. Higher scores indicated greater symptom severity.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Secondary	Change in Parenting stress	Parenting stress will be measured using the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF). The PSI-SF is a self-report questionnaire that requires respondents to answer questions regarding their overall experience with parenting stress using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Scores range from 36-180. Higher scores indicate higher levels of stress.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).
Secondary	Change in harsh parenting	Harsh parenting will be measured using the Overreactivity subscale of the Parenting Scale (PS). The Overreactivity subscale contains 10 items related to harsh parenting behaviours. Harsh parenting includes expressing inappropriate anger, irritability, or meanness towards one's child. Totals scores range from 10 to 70, with higher scores indicating higher levels of harsh parenting.	Assessed at pre-intervention (T1), immediately after the intervention (T2), and at 6-month follow-up (T3).