Advancing family wellbeing through a Massive Online Open Intervention: the LightBEAM program protocol for randomized waitlist control trial {1a}.

The LightBEAM program translates the previously established BEAM (Building Emotional Awareness and Mental Health) app into a massive open online intervention (MOOI) format to increase accessibility and scalability.

• BEAM is described as 'a previously established online parenting and mental health app' available at thebeamprogram.com
• The translation to MOOI format is intended to 'increase accessibility, scalability, and reach of the program in an effort to better support Canadian families'
• The intervention arm includes 12 weeks of parenting and mental health videos, a group forum, and weekly exercises to reinforce key skills

The trial targets Canadian parents experiencing elevated mental health symptoms who are parenting young children.

• Eligible participants must be parenting a child between the ages of 1.5 and 8 years old
• Participants must be experiencing elevated symptoms of parenting stress, anxiety, depression, and/or anger
• The study focuses on Canadian families specifically

A pilot waitlist control randomized design will be used to investigate the efficacy of the LightBEAM intervention.

• The study uses 'a pilot waitlist control design'
• The trial was retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrial.gov NCT07026838 on June 10th, 2025
• Protocol Version 1 is dated August 2025

The study will use a combination of multilevel modeling and mediation models as primary analytic approaches.

• Multilevel modeling and mediation models will be used 'to assess changes in participants' elevated mental health scores across the 12-week program and the 6-month follow-up period'
• Assessment time points include baseline, post-program (12 weeks), and a 6-month follow-up period
• Post-program focus groups will also be conducted 'to further explore the feasibility and acceptability of the program'

The paper identifies significant barriers to mental health service access for Canadian families as a primary motivation for the MOOI approach.

• Canadian families face 'a plethora of barriers to accessing services in a timely manner'
• Early childhood is identified as 'a formative period for healthy child development' and simultaneously 'a time when parents experience increased mental health challenges'
• Parental mental health challenges including 'heightened parental stress, anxiety, depression' are noted to increase 'risk of externalizing and internalizing disorders' in children
• The MOOI format is proposed as a 'low-barrier, accessible mental health support'

Results from the LightBEAM trial are intended to inform future iterations of the program.

• The authors state 'Results will be used to inform future iterations of the program'
• The translation is described as having 'the potential to increase the scalability of this intervention to ensure that Canadian families have access to timely mental health and parenting supports'