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Parenting Together Project (PTP)

Note: The PTP program was not responsive to the CEBC's inquiry. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources.

Topic Areas
Scientific Rating
Child Welfare Relevance
Father Involvement Interventions
2  — Supported by Research Evidence
Low

About This Program

Target Population: Couples that just became first-time parents and could use assistance in developing the father's role in parenthood

Program Overview

PTP is an educational intervention for first-time parents that focuses on the development of fathers' knowledge, skills, and commitment to the fatherhood role. The programs goals are to increase mothers' support and expectations for the fathers' involvement; to foster co-parental teamwork in the couple; and to have the couple deal more constructively with contextual factors such as work and cultural expectations. The intervention consists of eight 2-hour sessions that are spread out between the second trimester of pregnancy and five months postpartum.

Logic Model

The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Parenting Together Project (PTP).

Manuals and Training

Publicly available information indicates there is a manual that describes how to deliver this program, and there is some training available for this program.
See contact info below.

Implementation Information

Pre-Implementation Materials

There are no pre-implementation materials to measure organizational or provider readiness for Parenting Together Project (PTP).

Formal Support for Implementation

There is no formal support available for implementation of Parenting Together Project (PTP).

Fidelity Measures

There are no fidelity measures for Parenting Together Project (PTP).

Implementation Guides or Manuals

There are no implementation guides or manuals for Parenting Together Project (PTP).

Implementation Cost

There are no studies of the costs of Parenting Together Project (PTP).

Research on How to Implement the Program

Research has not been conducted on how to implement Parenting Together Project (PTP).

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being

Doherty, W. J., Erickson, M. F., & LaRossa, R. (2006). An intervention to increase father involvement and skills with infants during the transition to parenthood, Journal of Family Psychology, 20(3), 438–447. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.20.3.438

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of Participants: 168

Population:

  • Age — 18–45 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — 16% Multiracial, 3% African American and Asian/Pacific Islander, all others not specified
  • Gender — 50% Male and 50% Female
  • Status — Participants were couples recruited from a local health maintenance organization who were from a low-risk community sample.

Location/Institution: University of Minnesota

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
The purpose of the study was to examine whether a group educational intervention [now called the Parenting Together Project (PTP)] during the transition to parenthood can enhance the quality of father-child interaction and increase father involvement for first-time parents. Participants were randomly assigned to either an 8-session treatment (beginning during the second trimester of pregnancy and ending at 5 months postpartum) or to a control group. Measures utilized include Interaction/Accessibility Time Chart, Parent Behavior Rating Scale, and the Parental Responsibility Scale (PRS) at 6 months and 12 months postpartum. Results indicate that the intervention had positive effects on fathers' skills in interacting with their babies and their involvement on work days, but not home days. Limitations included difficulty with attrition and generalizability to child welfare populations due to low-risk sample characteristics.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 7 months after end of intervention (12 months postpartum).

Additional References

No reference materials are currently available for Parenting Together Project (PTP).

Contact Information

William J. Doherty, PhD
Agency/Affiliation: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Email:
Phone: (612) 625-4752 or (612) 625-4227

Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: November 2023

Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: March 2019

Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: August 2011