Parents with bipolar disorder (BD) find that the mood changes they experience make parenting challenging. They often report high levels of stress and low parenting confidence, while their children’s emotional and behavioural wellbeing is also impacted. Parents with BD often want parenting support but worry they might lose access to their children if they disclose this. Accessible, flexible, and confidential online parenting support is a way to provide this without adding to worries parents already have. Children of parents with BD often have emotional and behavioural problems, which can lead to mental health problems, including BD, as they grow up. Parents need support to help their children flourish, which may also help parents themselves feel better.
The IBPI team at Lancaster University created an online intervention to support parents with BD which was acceptable to parents and helped with both child emotional and behaviour problems and parenting. The IBPI trial aims to fully assess whether an updated version of this intervention is effective and represents value for money.
Parents with BD with a child aged 4-10 years old in the UK will be invited to participate through NHS mental health trusts, mental health charities and social media. 342 parents who agree to take part will be either offered the online intervention, or usual care. Whether the parent receives the intervention or not is decided randomly. Parents will fill in questionnaires about their child, their parenting, their mood and their anxiety when they start the study and at 24 and 48 weeks. Around 30 parents will also take part in an interview to find out how helpful they found the IBPI intervention.
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Funders(s): | NIHR Health Technology Assessment (NIHR131483) |
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Start Date: | April 2022 |
End Date: | March 2026 |
If you would like to talk to someone about your mental health there are many different ways you can access information and support.
If you need more urgent help and are already in contact with mental health services, please contact them directly. If you are not in contact with mental health services, the following might be helpful:
IBPI Trial Team, Lancaster University ibpi@lancaster.ac.uk
York Trials Unit Team ytu-ibpi@york.ac.uk
More information on the trial can be found at the following link: