Research

Rigorous evaluation and implementation research to increase the evidence of the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of human-digital playful parenting programmes.

GPI’s research projects are all part of the Evaluate workstream and together the various projects are building a robust knowledge base. We aim to rapidly advance the evidence and transferability of the PLH digital and hybrid playful parenting programmes across diverse populations in Africa and Asia.

This ambitious programme of research will make a substantial contribution to our understanding of the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, transferability, and scalability of human-digital parenting programmes promoting playful parenting, learning through play, and child developmental and educational outcomes, while reducing risks of violence against children and family violence. 

Our studies will build on foundational research already conducted piloting our innovative human-digital hybrid parenting programmes.

Our research addresses the urgent need to establish the evidence of the effectiveness of these programmes while embedding them within existing government, NGO, and private sector systems in low- and middle-income countries.

Recent publications

Janowski, R. et al. (2025) 'Optimizing Engagement With a Smartphone App to Prevent Violence Against Adolescents: Results From a Cluster Randomized Factorial Trial in Tanzania', Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27, p. e60102. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2196/60102. Cite
Van Tuyll Van Serooskereken Rakotom, S. et al. (2025) 'Scaling up of parenting support to prevent violence against children in Tanzania: insights from policymakers and service providers', Implementation Science Communications, 6(1), p. 8. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s43058-024-00684-8. Cite
Schafer, M. et al. (2025) 'A Digital Parenting Intervention With Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Content: Quantitative Pre-Post Pilot Study', JMIR Formative Research, 9, p. e58611. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2196/58611. Cite
Sim, A. et al. (2025) 'Effectiveness of a universal film intervention in reducing violence against children and increasing positive parenting among migrant and displaced caregivers from Myanmar: a community-based cluster randomised trial', The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia, 33, p. 100526. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2024.100526. Cite
Burghart, M. and Backhaus, S. (2024) 'The Long-Term Consequences of Family Violence Victimization: An Umbrella Review of Longitudinal Meta-Analyses on Child Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence', Journal of Family Violence [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-024-00768-y. Cite
See all our research publications

Our research studies

The GPI features nine core current and upcoming research-within-implementation studies in South Africa, Tanzania, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Uganda. In addition, we work in 22 other countries, mostly in the Global South, conducting research and crisis responses.

Core studies

Satellite studies​

Team

GPI partenrs and funders