Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement in Primary Care (PriCARE) / Criando Niños Con CARIÑO (CARIÑO)

BEHAVIORAL

PriCARE/CARIÑO

PriCARE/CARIÑO is a group caregiver training program designed to improve child behaviors, caregiver-child relationships, parenting capacity, and reduce caregiver stress. Sessions occur in the primary care clinic or virtually. PriCARE/CARIÑO uses the 3 P skills (Praise, Paraphrase and Point-out-Behavior). The training starts with skills on giving attention to children's positive, pro-social behaviors, while ignoring minor misbehaviors. The second part of the training teaches skills for giving effective commands in order to set age-appropriate limits and increase compliance. PriCARE/CARIÑO includes a stress education section that contextualizes the use of these skills with the types of behaviors and problems exhibited by many children living with psychosocial adversity and familial stress. Caregivers are encouraged to practice the skills with their child in between sessions. CARIÑO is the culturally adapted version of PriCARE for Spanish speaking participants.

Child Protective Services Investigations from time 3 to time 5

Time frame: 4 month after baseline (time 3) up to 52 months after baseline (time 5)

The primary outcome variable is a binary indicator of whether or not the child experienced at least one investigation from Child Protective Services (CPS) during follow-up. Beginning 4 months after randomization, each child will be followed for a period of 12 to 48 months to document all CPS investigations of suspected child maltreatment. The length of the follow-up interval will depend on the dyad's time of enrollment in the study.

Change in the Brief Child Abuse Potential Inventory (BCAP) score from time 1 to time 4

Time frame: Baseline, 0 months (time 1) to 6-8 months after baseline (time 4)

Change in BCAP scores from time 1 to time 4 will be measured. BCAP, a 34-item survey, measures traits and parenting styles typical of known physical child abusers. Each item has a unweighted value based on if agree vs. disagree is chosen and then the values are summed. Child abuse risk scores range from 0-24 with higher scores indicating caregiver has traits similar to those of known child abusers and has a higher risk of abuse.

What is a clinical trial?

A clinical trial is a research study that tests new medical treatments, drugs, devices, or procedures to determine their safety and effectiveness. Trials are carefully designed and monitored to protect participants while advancing medical knowledge.

Is it safe to participate?

Clinical trials follow strict safety guidelines and ethical standards. Trials must be reviewed and approved, and participants are closely monitored by medical professionals throughout the study. You can withdraw at any time if you choose.

Will I be compensated?

Many clinical trials offer compensation for your time, travel expenses, and inconvenience. The specific compensation varies by study and will be discussed during the screening process. All study-related medical care is typically provided at no cost to participants.

Will I receive a placebo instead of treatment?

When effective treatment exists, participants typically receive either the standard treatment plus the study intervention, or the standard treatment plus placebo. You would not be denied effective care. Placebos are primarily used when no proven treatment is available, or in addition to standard care. Your trial consent form will clearly explain what treatments you may receive.

Can I leave a trial if I change my mind?

Absolutely. Participation in clinical trials is completely voluntary. You have the right to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.

How long does a clinical trial last?

Trial duration varies widely depending on the study design and purpose. Some trials last just a few weeks, while others may continue for months or years. The study coordinator will provide specific timeline information during your screening call.