Violence, Gender-BasedNCT06100679
Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers Intervention Evaluation
A study testing Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers Initiative in people with Violence, Gender-Based and Violence, Domestic, run by University of California, San Diego at 4 sites in Uganda.
Trial summary
The goal of this stepped-wedge cluster randomized control trial is to assess whether a Ugandan community-based intervention for young fathers (ages 18-25 years) of children ages 0-3 years impacts fathers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding positive parenting practices, father-child interaction, harsh… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 16 to 25 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Violence, Gender-Based, Violence, Domestic, Violence, Sexual
- What is being tested?
- Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers Initiative
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 4,728 participants
- Where
- 4 sitesUganda
- Study dates
- 18 Oct 2023to Oct 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 16 to 25 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- Living in one of the six selected regions and districts across each region
- Being male aged between aged 16-25 years
- Being biological father to a child(ren) who is younger than 3 years old
- Living in union and in the same household with the mother or guardian of the child(ren)
- Living in union and in the same household as the young father
Who cannot join
None listed.
Trial locations and contacts
4 sites in 1 country.
Uganda4 sites
Somero Uganda
Kampala, Kayunga, Bugiri, Luweero
Bantwana Initiatives Uganda
Kampala, Masindi, Kiryandongo and Katakwi
All Nations
Lira, Dokolo
Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) - Uganda Chapter
Mbarara, Isingiro
About this study
Official title: Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers: Study Protocol for a Cluster-randomized Controlled Trial of Mentored Parenting Sessions for Young Fathers to Promote Child Development and Reduce Violence in Uganda
The goal of this stepped-wedge cluster randomized control trial is to assess whether a Ugandan community-based intervention for young fathers (ages 18-25 years) of children ages 0-3 years impacts fathers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding positive parenting practices, father-child interaction, harsh physical punishment of children, and intimate partner violence.
Read the detailed description
- BACKGROUND. The prevalence of violence against women and children in Uganda takes a substantial toll on the overall health and welfare of families. Globally three in four children aged 2 to 4 years are exposed to harsh physical punishment. Child maltreatment not only inflicts immediate harm but also has long-lasting consequences on a child's physical and mental health, educational attainment, and overall development. One in four children under the age of five live with a mother who is a victim of intimate partner violence. Based on data from recent population surveys, 60% of Ugandan women reported having experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) at some point, while 45% reported experiencing IPV within the past year. These statistics underscore the urgent need for effective measures to address and mitigate the impact of such violence on the well-being of individuals and families in Uganda.
- INTERVENTION. The Responsible, Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers Initiative is an evidence-based father-centered mentoring program designed to address social and gender norms that promote use of violence in child discipline and with intimate partners through promotion of positive parenting and partnership skills building. The REAL Fathers Initiative uses a 7-month mentoring program and a community poster campaign to model alternative strategies for nonviolent discipline and conflict resolution to improve fathers' parenting and communication skills and confidence in adapting nonviolent strategies. The project works with young fathers (ages 18-25) who have toddler-aged children (0-3 years) who are learning new roles as parents and husbands. This stage in a man's life is an ideal time to promote nonviolence in parenting and partner relationships as there is still ambiguity in the normative expectations about these roles and behaviors.
- STUDY DESCRIPTION. This study will examine the impacts of a multilevel community-based intervention for young fathers and their families in Uganda on positive parenting, childhood development, and violence reduction. We will use a stepped-wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial design within 72 sub-counties randomly sampled from 24 districts in six regions of Uganda. Sub-counties are randomly allocated to treatment or control conditions at three successive time points from November 2023 to December 2025. Study participants are couple dyads (young fathers and their wives) ages 16-25 years with children ≤3 years (n=3,744 dyads). Quantitative longitudinal data will be collected via trained enumerators in six local languages on KoboCollect software. Intervention effects on primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed using difference-in-differences statistical approaches in mixed-effects models that account for the clustered stepped-wedge design.
- Conditions
- Violence, Gender-Based, Violence, Domestic, Violence, Sexual, Violence, Physical, Contraception Behavior, Child Development
- Being tested
- Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers Initiative
- Keywords
- Violence Prevention, Early Childhood Development, Couples Communication, Father Engagement, Gender Norms
- Medical subject headings
- Coitus, Contraception Behavior, Communication, Negotiating
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers InitiativeBehavioural
Also called REAL Fathers
REAL Fathers is a multilevel norms-shifting intervention among: young fathers (ages 16-25 whose oldest child is under the age of 3); couple dyads (fathers and wives); mentoring dyads and groups; and communities. Respected men in the community are identified by participating young fathers, their partners and community members to become mentors. Mentors participate in a training and mentor young fathers through home and group sessions on conflict resolution, non-violent discipline, family planning, and couple communication. Mentoring is supplemented with a monthly poster campaign designed to reinforce messages from the home and group mentoring sessions and a community celebration. REAL Fathers aims to build positive partnerships and parenting practices among young fathers to: 1) reduce incidence of intimate partner violence; 2) reduce harsh physical punishment of children; 3) improve early childhood development; 4) decrease unmet need for family planning.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | Standard of care. Participants will have access to existing health centers and early childhood development centers. |
| Intervention | Experimental | Participants will engage in the Responsible, Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers Intervention-an evidence-based community mentoring education program for young fathers and their spouses. Over 7 months, fathers receive monthly home visits from a community-identified male mentor. Mentors share information and skills-building tools on conflict resolution, non-violent discipline, family planning, and couple communication. At the end of each month, pairs or trios of mentors hold group reflection sessions with all mentored fathers. In months 5 and 6 of the intervention, spouses join the home visits and group sessions. Community-level intervention components include: 1) monthly educational poster campaigns that showcase nonviolent discipline and conflict resolution strategies; 2) community-hosted celebrations at the end of the intervention to acknowledge the accomplishments of the young fathers. Receives: Behavioral: Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers Initiative |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Reduced Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration (IPV-P)
Proportion of young fathers and their wives reporting perpetrating physical, sexual, and/or emotional IPV in the past three months. Assessed via six measures: whether you shouted or yelled at your [wife/husband]; slapped your [wife/husband]; pushed or shoved your [wife/husband]; threw something at your [wife/husband] that could hurt [her/him]; physically forced your [wife/husband] to have sex with you when [she/he] did not want to; or insulted your [wife/husband]. Response options: never, once, a few times, many times, don't know/remember, refused.
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Reduced Intimate Partner Violence Victimization (IPV-V)
Proportion of young fathers and their wives reporting being a victim of physical, sexual, and/or emotional IPV in the past three months. Six measures include: whether your spouse shouted or yelled at you; slapped you; pushed or shoved you; threw something at you that could hurt you; physically forced you to have sex with you when you did not want to; or insulted you. Response options: never, once, a few times, many times, don't know/remember, refused.
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Reduced Unmet Need for Family Planning
Proportion of men and women with unmet need for healthy timing and spacing of children. Assessed via those who are fecund and sexually active but are not using any method of contraception, and report not wanting any more children or wanting to delay the next child for 2 or more years.
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Early Child Development (ECD) - CREDI
Scores on the short-form version of the Caregiver Reported Early Development Instruments (CREDI).
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Father engagement in child immunization
Proportion of fathers reporting that they took their child(ren) for rounds of immunization(s).
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Secondary outcomes (8)
Fathers' knowledge of positive parenting and discipline skills
Proportion of fathers who can correctly distinguish between positive and harsh parenting/ discipline. Item: There are various ways parents can use to positively disciple their children. Please tell me which of the following are positive ways parents can discipline their children. a) Taking a deep breath (calming yourself) when the child does something wrong before responding; b) Threaten to hit him/her; c) Tell your wife to take care of the child; d) Put him/her somewhere by him/herself; e) Redirect child's attention or behavior; f) Asking your wife for her advice or help; g) Shouting at him/her. Response options: True, False, Don't know, Refused
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Fathers' attitudes towards positive parenting and discipline
Proportion of fathers who hold positive attitudes for the use of non-violent parenting practices. Questions include: Stubborn children need to be hit to teach them right from wrong [reverse-coded].; A parent should never spank or hit a child.; Being violent with my child(ren) is not the only way to be an effective head of the family.; If a child is old enough to defy a parent, then he/she is old enough to be hit. [reverse-coded] Response options: strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree, don't know, refused.
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Father engagement at home
Proportion of young fathers who engage with household chores and caretaking activities in past three months. Items include: washed clothes; prepared food; bought food; played with your children at home; cooked or fixed food for your child; dressed or changed the clothes of the child; gave your child a bath; read books or looked at the pictures in books with the child; told stories to the child; sang songs with the child; took the child outside the home, compound, yard, or enclosure; spent time with the child naming, counting, and/or drawing things. Response options: never, rarely, once or twice a month, several times a week, every day, don't know/remember, refused.
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Couple communication and conflict resolution
Proportion of young fathers reporting increased and improved communication with their wives. Questions include whether in the past month the young father: took time to listen to his wife's concerns; communicated with each other about things that frustrated you; talked about things that affect each other and the family; and asked questions and got feedback/input from each other before making final decisions; resolved conflicts/arguments amicably without physically hurting each other. Response options: yes, no, don't know, refused.
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Fathers' positive parenting and discipline behaviors
Proportion of fathers reporting use of positive parenting and discipline practices in the past three months. Questions include: whether the father said something nice about or praised the child; gave the child physical affection; went someplace or did something special with the child as a reward; showed or told the child that you love him/her. Discipline strategies include: taking away something the child liked; explaining why the child's behavior was wrong; redirecting (giving the child something else to do); asking the child to apologize. Response options include: never, once, a few times, many times, don't know/remember, refused.
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Reduced harsh violent discipline of children
Proportion of fathers reporting they used a form of harsh/violent discipline with their child in the past month. Items include: shook child; shouted, yelled at, or screamed at child; spanked, hit, or slapped child on the bottom with bare hand; hit child on the bottom or elsewhere on the body with something like a belt, stick, or other hard object; hit or slapped child on the face, head, or ear; hit or slapped child on the hand, arm, or leg; beat child up, that is, hit him/her over and over as hard as you could. Response options: never, once, a few times, many times, don't know/remember, refused.
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Supportive environments for father engagement and positive parenting
Proportion of fathers agreeing or strongly agreeing that their social networks approve of engaging with children and using positive parenting skills. Items include: Your closest friends will tease you if you help your wife with child care. [reverse-coded] ; Your father would admire you for telling stories to your child(ren).; You would be embarrassed if your mother saw your child(ren) misbehave and you did not discipline the child strongly. [reverse-coded]; Your friends think you should discipline your child(ren) with love.; Your respected community members will say you are not parenting your child well if - instead of beating your child - you try to explain to them their misbehavior. [reverse-coded] Response options: strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree, strongly disagree, don't know, refused.
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Knowledge of where to access family planning method(s)
Proportion of fathers and their wives who know where to obtain a method of family planning.
Measured: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Oct 2023
- Study start18 Oct 2023
- Primary completionSep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionOct 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Violence, Gender-BasedStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Sequential
- Model description
- Stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial-sequential transition of clusters from control to intervention conditions in randomized order, until all clusters are exposed.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 4,728 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San Diego
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Impact and Innovations Development Centre (IIDC), Uganda, NaNa Development Consultants Ltd, Uganda, LEGO Foundation
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Kathryn Barker, University of California, San Diego
- Investigators
- Kathryn M Barker, PhD, MPH, Principal investigator, University of California, San Diego
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06100679
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 808321
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 6 Oct 2023
- Last updated
- 3 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Due to the highly sensitive nature of the resulting data on violence against children and women, these data will be available only through request to the study PI, who will vet requests to be certain that appropriate IRB approvals and data safety guidelines are in place.
Publications
Barker KM, Wandiembe S, Wandega A, Jeong J, Ojamuge D, Lundgren R, Yiga D, Nabembezi D. Testing the effectiveness of the Responsible, Engaged, and Loving Fathers (REAL Fathers) intervention for improving early childhood development and reducing family violence in Uganda: Study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2025 Sep 29;26(1):372. doi: 10.1186/s13063-025-09061-9.
PubMed 41024259
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers: Study Protocol for a Cluster-randomized Controlled Trial of Mentored Parenting Sessions for Young Fathers to Promote Child Development and Reduce Violence in Uganda
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06100679
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 808321
- Conditions
- Violence, Gender-Based, Violence, Domestic, Violence, Sexual, Violence, Physical, Contraception Behavior, Child Development
- Keywords
- Violence Prevention, Early Childhood Development, Couples Communication, Father Engagement, Gender Norms
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 4,728 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San DiegoUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Impact and Innovations Development Centre (IIDC), Uganda, NaNa Development Consultants Ltd, Uganda, LEGO Foundation
- Study start
- 18 Oct 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Oct 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 25 Oct 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this stepped-wedge cluster randomized control trial is to assess whether a Ugandan community-based intervention for young fathers (ages 18-25 years) of children ages 0-3 years impacts fathers' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding positive parenting practices, father-child interaction, harsh physical punishment of children, and intimate partner violence.
Detailed description
- BACKGROUND. The prevalence of violence against women and children in Uganda takes a substantial toll on the overall health and welfare of families. Globally three in four children aged 2 to 4 years are exposed to harsh physical punishment. Child maltreatment not only inflicts immediate harm but also has long-lasting consequences on a child's physical and mental health, educational attainment, and overall development. One in four children under the age of five live with a mother who is a victim of intimate partner violence. Based on data from recent population surveys, 60% of Ugandan women reported having experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) at some point, while 45% reported experiencing IPV within the past year. These statistics underscore the urgent need for effective measures to address and mitigate the impact of such violence on the well-being of individuals and families in Uganda.
- INTERVENTION. The Responsible, Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers Initiative is an evidence-based father-centered mentoring program designed to address social and gender norms that promote use of violence in child discipline and with intimate partners through promotion of positive parenting and partnership skills building. The REAL Fathers Initiative uses a 7-month mentoring program and a community poster campaign to model alternative strategies for nonviolent discipline and conflict resolution to improve fathers' parenting and communication skills and confidence in adapting nonviolent strategies. The project works with young fathers (ages 18-25) who have toddler-aged children (0-3 years) who are learning new roles as parents and husbands. This stage in a man's life is an ideal time to promote nonviolence in parenting and partner relationships as there is still ambiguity in the normative expectations about these roles and behaviors.
- STUDY DESCRIPTION. This study will examine the impacts of a multilevel community-based intervention for young fathers and their families in Uganda on positive parenting, childhood development, and violence reduction. We will use a stepped-wedge cluster-randomized controlled trial design within 72 sub-counties randomly sampled from 24 districts in six regions of Uganda. Sub-counties are randomly allocated to treatment or control conditions at three successive time points from November 2023 to December 2025. Study participants are couple dyads (young fathers and their wives) ages 16-25 years with children ≤3 years (n=3,744 dyads). Quantitative longitudinal data will be collected via trained enumerators in six local languages on KoboCollect software. Intervention effects on primary and secondary outcomes will be assessed using difference-in-differences statistical approaches in mixed-effects models that account for the clustered stepped-wedge design.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Sequential
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial-sequential transition of clusters from control to intervention conditions in randomized order, until all clusters are exposed.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | –Standard of care. Participants will have access to existing health centers and early childhood development centers. |
| Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers InitiativeParticipants will engage in the Responsible, Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers Intervention-an evidence-based community mentoring education program for young fathers and their spouses. Over 7 months, fathers receive monthly home visits from a community-identified male mentor. Mentors share information and skills-building tools on conflict resolution, non-violent discipline, family planning, and couple communication. At the end of each month, pairs or trios of mentors hold group reflection sessions with all mentored fathers. In months 5 and 6 of the intervention, spouses join the home visits and group sessions. Community-level intervention components include: 1) monthly educational poster campaigns that showcase nonviolent discipline and conflict resolution strategies; 2) community-hosted celebrations at the end of the intervention to acknowledge the accomplishments of the young fathers. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 16 to 25 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Living in one of the six selected regions and districts across each region
- Being male aged between aged 16-25 years
- Being biological father to a child(ren) who is younger than 3 years old
- Living in union and in the same household with the mother or guardian of the child(ren)
- Living in union and in the same household as the young father
Key exclusion criteria (0 listed)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers InitiativeAlso: REAL FathersREAL Fathers is a multilevel norms-shifting intervention among: young fathers (ages 16-25 whose oldest child is under the age of 3); couple dyads (fathers and wives); mentoring dyads and groups; and communities. Respected men in the community are identified by participating young fathers, their partners and community members to become mentors. Mentors participate in a training and mentor young fathers through home and group sessions on conflict resolution, non-violent discipline, family planning, and couple communication. Mentoring is supplemented with a monthly poster campaign designed to reinforce messages from the home and group mentoring sessions and a community celebration. REAL Fathers aims to build positive partnerships and parenting practices among young fathers to: 1) reduce incidence of intimate partner violence; 2) reduce harsh physical punishment of children; 3) improve early childhood development; 4) decrease unmet need for family planning. | Behavioural | Intervention |
Primary outcome
Reduced Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration (IPV-P)
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Proportion of young fathers and their wives reporting perpetrating physical, sexual, and/or emotional IPV in the past three months. Assessed via six measures: whether you shouted or yelled at your [wife/husband]; slapped your [wife/husband]; pushed or shoved your [wife/husband]; threw something at your [wife/husband] that could hurt [her/him]; physically forced your [wife/husband] to have sex with you when [she/he] did not want to; or insulted your [wife/husband]. Response options: never, once, a few times, many times, don't know/remember, refused.
Reduced Intimate Partner Violence Victimization (IPV-V)
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Proportion of young fathers and their wives reporting being a victim of physical, sexual, and/or emotional IPV in the past three months. Six measures include: whether your spouse shouted or yelled at you; slapped you; pushed or shoved you; threw something at you that could hurt you; physically forced you to have sex with you when you did not want to; or insulted you. Response options: never, once, a few times, many times, don't know/remember, refused.
Reduced Unmet Need for Family Planning
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Proportion of men and women with unmet need for healthy timing and spacing of children. Assessed via those who are fecund and sexually active but are not using any method of contraception, and report not wanting any more children or wanting to delay the next child for 2 or more years.
Early Child Development (ECD) - CREDI
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Scores on the short-form version of the Caregiver Reported Early Development Instruments (CREDI).
Father engagement in child immunization
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Proportion of fathers reporting that they took their child(ren) for rounds of immunization(s).
8 secondary outcomes
Fathers' knowledge of positive parenting and discipline skills
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Fathers' attitudes towards positive parenting and discipline
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Father engagement at home
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Couple communication and conflict resolution
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Fathers' positive parenting and discipline behaviors
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Reduced harsh violent discipline of children
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Supportive environments for father engagement and positive parenting
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Knowledge of where to access family planning method(s)
Time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Jun 2026.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41024259Barker KM, Wandiembe S, Wandega A, Jeong J, Ojamuge D, Lundgren R, Yiga D, Nabembezi D. Testing the effectiveness of the Responsible, Engaged, and Loving Fathers (REAL Fathers) intervention for improving early childhood development and reducing family violence in Uganda: Study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2025 Sep 29;26(1):372. doi: 10.1186/s13063-025-09061-9.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Due to the highly sensitive nature of the resulting data on violence against children and women, these data will be available only through request to the study PI, who will vet requests to be certain that appropriate IRB approvals and data safety guidelines are in place.
Related trials for Violence, Gender-Based
Not yet recruiting
Group Cognitive Processing Therapy for Women Survivors of Gender-Based Violence: Feasibility Study
Trauma, Psychological, Traumatic Stress Disorder
Not yet recruiting
Comparison of Escape Room and Branching Scenario Games in Nursing Education
Gender Prediction, Dating Violence
RecruitingObservational study
Evaluation of the Impact on Mental and Physical Health of Caring for Women Who Are Victims of Sexual and Gender-based Violence, Using a Coordinated Multidisciplinary Approach in Women's Centres or Traditional Health Centres.
Domestic and/or Sexual Violence
Active, not recruiting
Mpata Yathu Trial for Young Women in Zambia
HIV, Common Mental Health Problems
Active, not recruiting
Pathways to Improved Adolescent Mental Health in Conflict Affected Families
Mental Health Issue, Gender Equality
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Kathryn M Barker, PhD, MPH principal investigator
University of California, San Diego
4 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Responsible Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers Initiative in people with Violence, Gender-Based and Violence, Domestic, run by University of California, San Diego at 4 sites in Uganda.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 0 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 4 sites in Uganda. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Reduced Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration (IPV-P) (time frame: 1) Baseline to Wave 2 (Endline) = 8 months; and 2) Baseline to Wave 3 (Follow-Up) = 16 months). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06100679, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Jun 2026.