An interventional study of Strengths to Grow Program in Happiness, Self Efficacy and Positive Affect, sponsored by University of Guelph. Completed at 1 site in Canada. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-26.
Sponsored by University of Guelph · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
Research suggests that strength-based parenting programs can enhance family well-being, but the current formats of these programs (e.g., in-person workshops) are not accessible to many families. The first aim of the study is to develop a strength-based parenting program that is delivered in an accessible and engaging format. A community sample of parents will interact with the online program and complete a brief interview to provide suggestions to increase accessibility and engagement. The second aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of a strength-based parenting program delivered in an online, interactive format. Toward this end, parents of children in kindergarten to Grade 3 will be invited to complete a brief, online survey of well-being before and a few weeks after completing the online program to assess its impact on well-being.
Strength-based Parenting
Strength-based parenting is a style of caregiving which identifies and cultivates strengths in the child and caregiver. When parents employ a strength-based parenting style, youth tend to demonstrate greater academic achievement, resilience, and overall well-being, and parents tend to experience more well-being within the caregiving role. Additionally, it is believed that caregivers can develop a strength-based parenting style through training and practice. For these reasons, several strength-based parenting programs have been developed.
Character Strengths
Strength-based parenting programs typically focus on helping parents to identify and develop a particular type of strength known as character strengths. Character strengths are personal qualities that are widely regarded as morally good (e.g., bravery, curiosity, kindness). In 2004, Peterson and Seligman completed a comprehensive review that identified 24 character strengths. The development and use of these 24 character strengths has consistently been shown to be associated with well-being across the lifespan.
Strength-based Parenting Programs
The content of strength-based parenting programs typically revolves around introducing parents to character strengths, helping parents to identify character strengths within themselves and their child, teaching parents to notice and encourage their child's use of strengths, and helping parents to employ their strengths within the caregiving role. Within the published literature, strength-based parenting programs have been delivered in two formats: in-person workshops and online handouts. These programs had positive effects, including improving caregiving self-efficacy, positive emotions toward the child, and family well-being relative to waitlist control groups. However, the format of these programs may have limited the number of parents who could access and engage with the resources.
Access and Engagement
It is important to consider the extent to which caregivers can access and engage with programs because access and engagement are necessary pre-requisites to program effectiveness. Research on parenting programs suggests that in-person workshops are not accessible to many families, particularly families of lower socio-economic status. Online handouts may be more accessible, but may struggle to engage families, as interactive, media-rich online materials tend to be more engaging. The present study aims to increase the accessibility of strength-based parenting programs by offering the resources online, and to increase engagement by providing interactive rather than static online materials.
An Online, Interactive, Strength-based Parenting Program
O'Byrne et al. examined pilot project data from an online, interactive strength-based parenting program. The thirty-minute program was delivered to parents of kindergarten children. Through focus groups and analyzing parents' interactions with the online program, the pilot project found that parents reacted positively to the online, interactive format and the strength-based content. Additionally, within the sample, the program was accessible to families of lower socio-economic status who are difficult to access with in-person resources. Although the pilot project generated promising results, it relied on a small sample and effectiveness was not examined. The present project aims to build upon this initial work by using the pilot project results to revise the program and evaluating the revised program using a larger sample of caregivers.
University of Guelph is the lead sponsor of 69 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.
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Inclusion Criteria:
Behavioral: Strengths to Grow Program
In an online, self-directed format, the Strengths to Grow program will present the principles of strength-based parenting using videos, pictures, reflection questions, and written text. The intervention will communicate that a) every child has a unique set of strengths and that b) noticing and developing these strengths can enhance child and family well-being. It will also provide concrete steps that parents can follow to talk with their child about strengths, and it will provide ideas for family activities that would allow family members to express strengths. Participants will be invited to respond to reflection questions at various points throughout the program.
Parenting Sense of Competence Scale: Efficacy Subscale
The efficacy subscale of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC) is a 7-item measure of caregivers' perceived competence and capability in handling child problems (e.g., "I honestly believe I have all the skills necessary to be a good parent to my child"). Participants respond to each item using a 6-point scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Total scores range from 7 to 42 with higher scores indicate higher caregiving self-efficacy.
Time frame: 1 week
Modified Differential Emotions Scale
The Modified Differential Emotions Scale (mDES) is a ten-item measure of the frequency of positive emotions. Participants rate how often they have felt a particular positive emotion (e.g., grateful) in the past two weeks using a 5-point scale ranging from "never" to "most of the time". Consistent with Waters and Sun (2016), the scale instructions will be modified to assess the frequency of positive emotions felt in relation to the parents' child (i.e., "Thinking about your child(ren), how often do you feel each of the following?") Total scores range from 10 to 50 with higher scores indicate more positive emotions toward the child(ren).
Time frame: 1 week
Subjective Happiness Scale
The four-item Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) assesses participant's sense of their overall well-being. Participants respond to items (e.g., Some people are generally very happy. They enjoy life regardless of what is going on, getting the most out of everything. To what extent does this characterization describe you?) on a 7-point scale that differs across items. Total scores range from 4 to 28 with higher scores indicate higher happiness.
Time frame: 1 week
Plan to share: No — There is no plan to share individual participant data as this has not been approved by our Research Ethics Board.
This study is completed, as verified in Jul 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Guelph