Purpose of the Study:
The current study is for my dissertation for my PhD program in clinical psychology at Northern Illinois University. I and my advisor, Dr. Laura Pittman, are the only individuals conducting this study. The goal of the study is to test the actor-partner effects (i.e., the effects of mothers on fathers and fathers on mothers) between romantic relationship quality, coparenting, and parenting of mothers and fathers of children with psychopathology symptoms.
Methodology:
I am hoping to collect data from two-parent dyads who are in a romantic relationship (i.e., not divorced) of children between the ages of 6 and 18 with psychopathology symptoms. Parent dyads will be recruited by information about the study being shared to online groups and organizations (e.g., NAMI). Interested parents will use a link provided on a flyer to access the screener survey on Qualtrics. Once consent is given for the screener, they will complete the screener questionnaire. If they meet eligibility, they will provide their email and their partner’s email to receive separate emails with links to the full survey as well as a unique code to link the dyad together. The partner’s email will explain that their partner has volunteered them for this study and for them to receive compensation, they are also required to complete the full survey. Before starting the full survey, both participants will be asked to give consent. The entire survey should take less than 15 minutes. Questions will include the following: participants’ basic demographics, their child’s basic demographics; romantic relationship quality; perception of their coparenting relationship; parenting behaviors; and child psychopathology symptoms. Once surveys are completed, each participant will receive resources related to romantic relationship, coparenting, and parenting. Once both surveys are completed (i.e., one for each person in the romantic relationship), a $12.50 Amazon gift card will be sent to each participant’s email.
Each recruited dyad will have a 6- to 18-year-old child who is receiving mental health services (i.e., therapy or assessment) or display significant psychopathology symptoms. Dyads will need to have lived together and been in a romantic relationship with each other for at least two years and have lived with their child for this time frame. If they have two or more children within the sample age range, participants will be asked to think about the child receiving psychological services or with psychopathology symptoms. If they have more than one child receiving psychological services or with psychopathology symptoms, they will be directed to think about the oldest of these children under the age of 18.
Funding type: Personal funds
Date after which new study participants will no longer be accepted: January 1, 2025. Note that the IRB approval is until August 13, 2024. Therefore, an extension will be requested at that time.
Contact:
Jill Caradec
970-631-7545