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Improving the Health of Parents and Their Adolescent and Transition-age Youth With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Intellectual Disability
Interventions
Behavioral: Go Act
Behavioral: Peer
Registration Number
NCT05986305
Lead Sponsor
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Brief Summary

This study will determine the comparative effectiveness of Go Act, a tailored advocacy curriculum versus Peer parent-directed peer learning for increasing parent activation for parents of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Second, it will determine the comparative effectiveness of the two study arms for improving parent and youth health outcomes while assessing whether parent activation serves as a mechanism that mediates their effects on health outcomes.

Detailed Description

A well-functioning system of care should provide a broad array of services that can support families with a child with complex health care needs. Nonetheless, adolescents and transition age youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience rates of unmet need for health care up to 6 times higher than others resulting in poor health and quality of life for themselves and their families.

The system of care approach has achieved positive impacts for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, but updates call for training to help parents develop advocacy skills on behalf of their children. Prior research on diverse populations indicates that parent advocacy skills are a promising target for increasing parent self-efficacy, which in turn is associated with better parent and youth health outcomes. Parent advocacy skills can be increased through a psycho-educational advocacy skills curriculum or through parent-directed peer-learning. However, the comparative effectiveness of these two strategies for families raising youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities is not yet known.

This study has two objectives. First, it will determine the comparative effectiveness of Go Act, a tailored advocacy curriculum versus Peer parent-directed peer learning for increasing parent activation for parents of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities . Second, it will determine the comparative effectiveness of the two study arms for improving parent and youth health outcomes while assessing whether parent activation serves as a mechanism that mediates their effects on health outcomes.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
404
Inclusion Criteria

Parents

  • Bringing their adolescent or young adult child (age 11-27), with diagnosed or suspected intellectual or developmental disability, to one of the participating clinics
  • Able to attend group sessions
  • Able to give informed consent
  • Resident of North Carolina Youth
  • Being between the ages of 11 and 27
  • Having diagnosed or suspected intellectual or developmental disability
  • Being present for a visit at one of the study clinics
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Exclusion Criteria

Parents

  • Having evidence of emergency mental health needs
  • Not willing to be recorded
Read More

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Go ActGo ActGo Act is structured as a small group intervention for parents, consisting of four 60-minute sessions occurring over a 4-week period.
PeerPeerPeer is structured as a small group intervention for parents, consisting of four 60-minute sessions occurring over a 4-week period.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Difference in change in parent activationup to18 months after intervention

The Parent Patient Activation Measure will be used to capture parent activation on behalf of their child (mean score=70) at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention. The Parent Patient Activation Measure is a parent self-report 13-item scale with 4-level likert responses and scores ranging from 0 to 100.

Difference in change in youth social functioning- life satisfactionup to18 months after intervention

Youth social functioning will be assessed using the NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System for children life satisfaction measure at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention.

Difference in change in parent depressionup to 18 months after intervention

Parent depression will be measured with the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention. The Patient Health Questionnaire is scored from 0 to 24.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Difference in change in allianceup to 18 months after intervention

The adapted Parenting Alliance Inventory will be used to measure parent-teacher alliance at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention. The Parenting Alliance Inventory was adapted to focus on parent-teacher alliance, and consists of 20 items scored on a 5-point likert scale, producing a mean score between 1 and 5 never to always.

Difference in change in parenting self-efficacyup to 18 months after intervention

The Tool to Measure Parenting Self-Efficacy will be used to assess parent self-efficacy at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention. The Tool to Measure Parenting Self-Efficacy short version consists of 36-items rated on an 11-point likert scale, from 0 to 10 completely disagree to completely agree. Individual items are summed to create a total score, with higher scores indicating greater feelings of parenting self-efficacy.

Difference in change in stressup to 18 months after intervention

Parent stress will be measured with the 17-item Parental Stress Scale at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention. Mean scores range from 1 to 5 with higher scores indicating higher stress.

Difference in change in observed parent activationup to18 months after intervention

Observed parent activation will be assessed through audio-recorded parent-physician conversations at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention. Evidence of parent activation will be examined: 1) providing context, 2) giving feedback, and 3) asking questions. Audio-recordings will be transcribed and a coding manual created.

Difference in change in shared decision-makingup to 18 months after intervention

Shared decision-making will be assessed using a three-item scale from the National Survey of Children's Health at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention. Respondents report on a 4-point likert scale (never, sometimes, usually, or always) whether they feel that they 1) discuss with providers a range of treatment options; 2) are encouraged to raise concerns; 3) make treatment choices together. Mean scores range from 1 to 4 never to always.

Difference in change in youth social functioning- meaning & purposeup to 18 months after intervention

Youth social functioning will additionally be assessed using the NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System for children meaning and purpose measure at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention.

Difference in change in youth unmet need for careup to 18 months after intervention

Unmet need for care will be assessed using a three-item scale from the National Survey of Children's Health items at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention. Respondents report 1) that they needed but did not receive care (yes/no), 2) types of care not received, and 3) reasons for not receiving care. Counts of reasons (0 to 6) are summed for each of 5 types of care.

Difference in change in youth psychiatric crisis care useup to 18 months after intervention

Psychiatric crisis care use will be measured by number of emergency department visits at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention.

Difference in change in number of inpatient psychiatric staysup to 18 months after intervention

Inpatient psychiatric stays will be measured by number of stays at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention.

Difference in change in goal attainmentup to 18 months after intervention

Goal attainment will be assessed with the psychometric equivalence tested goal attainment scale at 6, 12 and 18 months after intervention. The goal attainment scale measurement system is based on a 5-point response scale ranging from -2 (worse expected outcome) to 2 (best expected outcome).

Trial Locations

Locations (3)

The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities

🇺🇸

Carrboro, North Carolina, United States

Family Medicine at the Mountain Area Health Education Center

🇺🇸

Asheville, North Carolina, United States

UNC Adult Psychiatry Clinic

🇺🇸

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

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