Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41530873›Full record

ArticleTrials2026

Self-help interventions for parenting couples experiencing conflict or relationship distress: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Tea Trillingsgaard, Nanna Fensman Lassen, Katherine J W Baucom, Laura Tøt Svare, Frederik Godt Hansen, Hanne N Fentz

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07125118 (Self-help Interventions for Parenting Couples Experiencing Couple Distress), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07125118 narecruitingnot on this map

Self-help Interventions for Parenting Couples Experiencing Couple Distress: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of AarhusRan2024 to 2027Enrolled700ConditionsMarital ConflictArmsThe OurRelationship Program, Bibliotherapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Tea TrillingsgaardDepartment of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Bartholins Alle 11, Aarhus C, DK-8000, Denmark. teatri@psy.au.dk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4370-3094
Nanna Fensman LassenDepartment of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Bartholins Alle 11, Aarhus C, DK-8000, Denmark.
Katherine J W BaucomDepartment of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Laura Tøt SvareDepartment of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Bartholins Alle 11, Aarhus C, DK-8000, Denmark.
Frederik Godt HansenDepartment of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Hanne N FentzDepartment of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Aarhus University, Bartholins Alle 11, Aarhus C, DK-8000, Denmark.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildren exposed to high levels of couple distress are at increased risk for a range of adjustment problems, including behavioral, emotional, and academic difficulties. These relational burdens can also interfere with adult mental health, the coparenting relationship, and the capacity to provide warm and consistent caregiving. Despite these challenges, many couples delay seeking help until their relationship is seriously deteriorated. This randomized controlled trial investigates the effects of two flexible self-help interventions: the OurRelationship program (OR) and couple-focused bibliotherapy (BT). We hypothesize that the OR will outperform BT which in turn will outperform a waitlist (WL) control in reducing communication conflict-the primary outcome-between baseline and post-intervention. We hypothesize that any couple intervention (OR or BT) will outperform WL in reducing impact on child wellbeing-the secondary outcome-between baseline and post-intervention for children with such impact at baseline.

methodsParenting couples (N = 350) with one or more children living at home, who report either high levels of parental conflict or relationship distress, are recruited via municipal family services in 11 or more Danish sites. Participants enroll through an online platform, complete a screener, provide informed consent, and fill out a baseline survey before randomization. Families are randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to OR, BT, or a WL. Online questionnaires are completed at baseline (T DISCUSSION: Including both a BT condition and a WL control allows us to test whether the OR offers added benefit over an accessible low-tech self-help option. Apart from the previous pilot, this is the first trial to evaluate the OR independently of its developers and the first study conducted outside the USA.

trial registrationRegistered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID = NCT07125118). Approved by Aarhus University's Research Ethics Committee-Behavioural and Social Sciences (registration number BSS-2024-018-S2, February 26, 2024) and registered with Aarhus University's internal data protection registry (Datatilsyn no. 1732).

Indexed as

BibliotherapyConflict, PsychologicalCouples TherapyFamily ConflictParentingParentsPsychological DistressSelf CareChildChild BehaviorDenmarkFemaleHumansMaleMulticenter Studies as TopicParent-Child RelationsBibliotherapyCommunication conflictDigital mental healthInternet interventionOurRelationship programParentsParfokusRandomized controlled trialRelationship distressRelationship satisfactionSelf-help interventions

Identifiers

PMID41530873
PMCPMC12888647

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.