DSPI trial finds support groups for parents halved violence against children in wartime Ukraine

A new study led by DSPI DPhil student Sydney Tucker has found Ukrainian parents who joined a support group programme designed for families living through the war reported half the levels of violence against children and less than half the amount of depression and anxiety symptoms, compared with parents who had not yet participated in the programme. 

These findings come from a randomised controlled trial of 510 parents and caregivers taking part in the Hope Groups programme. Published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe and carried out with Ukrainian partner organisations, World Without Orphans, and World Relief, it is among the first randomised trials to test whether a group-based mental health, parenting and violence prevention programme can work during an active war, rather than after the fighting stops. 

More than one in five children worldwide were living in a conflict zone in 2024 according to analysis by the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Decades of research on adverse childhood experiences have demonstrated the lifelong consequences of trauma experienced in childhood, highlighting the importance of providing support as early as possible during a crisis. 

About the Hope Groups intervention 

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, families needed resources related to help them care for their children and keep them safe from violence, while parents and caregivers also needed support to process their own trauma, grief, and loss.  

The Hope Groups intervention was developed as a 12-session programme using evidence-based content adapted with Ukrainian parents, rather than an imported ready-made programme. Groups of five to seven parents met wherever during the war - in shelters, community centres, churches and people's homes as well as through Telegram video calls.  

Sessions were led by local facilitators recruited and trained through churches and community organisations. This deliberately non-clinical model was designed to work during a crisis when formal systems are overwhelmed. 

Key findings 

The study, ‘Effectiveness of the Hope Groups Intervention on Mental Health, Parenting Practices, and Violence Against Children among Ukrainian Parents and Caregivers Affected by War and Displacement: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial’ found that, compared with parents on a waitlist, those who participated in the Hope Groups experienced:  

• 52.7% less physical or emotional violence against children 
• 57.4% lower levels of depression and anxiety symptoms among parents and carers 
• 33.1% stronger protective parenting practices 
• 65.4% higher levels of hopefulness about the future and coping with grief 
• 56% lower levels of behavioural issues among their children 
• 68% higher levels of behaviours to prevent violence against women 
• No harms or adverse events identified in either group 

 All figures represent differences between the two groups at the end of the programme, based on what parents reported. 

Sydney Tucker, lead author and researcher from DSPI, said: ‘Often, society may think that there is no way to protect families during an active war, and investment towards mental health or child protection programming may tragically wait until the war ends.  

‘However, if we wait, we are missing a crucial window of critical action. The evidence shows that investment to scale the Hope Groups intervention can bring significant relief for parents from depression and anxiety symptoms, and prevent violence against children, even amidst the active war.’ 

This study is the only known randomised controlled trial of a parenting programme conducted during active war to find improvements across all four key areas of parental mental health, positive parenting practices, violence against children, and child behavioural issues. 

Recommendations 

The researchers are calling on donors and humanitarian agencies to make parenting and caregiver mental health support a standard part of the response to war and displacement, rather than waiting for peace.  

Co-author Olha Ruina from NGO Nehemiah (Громадська організація "Неємія"), one of the implementing organisations in Ukraine, said: ‘In Hope Groups, for the first time in a long time, participants experienced safety, trust, and hope. Amidst a prolonged war, this kind of support for families is exactly what people needed. It is what will strengthen the resilience of Ukrainian society.’