Enabling dads and improving First Nations adolescent mental health: a pragmatic randomised controlled study

• Published in: BMJ Open
• Main Authors: Reilly, Lyndon, Adams, Mick, Diamond, Byron, Deemal, Preston, Diamond, Jordin, Koometra, Craig, Silove, Derrick, Rees, Susan
• Other Authors: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMJ 2023
• Subjects: General Medicine; Queensland; First Nations
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072202; https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072202

Introduction There are few empirically supported social and emotional well-being programmes for First Nations adolescents, and we found none targeting those living in Aboriginal communities in remote areas of Australia. The dearth of social and emotional well-being programmes is concerning given that adolescents in remote Australia are at much greater risk of mental disorder and suicide. Our pragmatic community-based research intervention ‘Enabling Dads and Improving First Nations Adolescent Mental Health’ is designed by and for First Nations people living in remote communities to promote and support the parenting role and examine the interconnection between men’s parenting knowledge and adolescent mental health. The aim is to improve adolescent mental health by strengthening the participating father’s empowerment, parenting confidence and engagement in the parenting role. The words Aboriginal, First Nation and Indigenous are applied interchangeably, as appropriate, throughout the article. Methods and analysis The intervention is currently being conducted in five remote First Nations communities in Far North Queensland, Australia. The project is funded by the Medical Research Future (MRFF UNSW RG200484), and staff recruitment and training began in early December 2020. The aim is to recruit 100 men and dyad adolescents, that is, in each of the five community sites, we will recruit 20 men and adolescent dyads at baseline. To date, we have complete data collection in one community, and fieldwork will begin in the final community in September 2023. The intervention involves a pragmatic randomised controlled trial, using a novel and culturally designed and manualised parenting programme with men (Strong Fathers, SF). The comparison group is receiving a culturally congruent and familiar yarning/relaxation (YR) condition. The SF component focuses on reinforcing knowledge related to parenting adolescents, promoting father’s empowerment, and increasing their confidence and engagement with the adolescent. The second ...