Homeless Youth Study - Stepping Stone Project
- Conditions
- Mental Health
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Coaching sessionsBehavioral: Mobile applications
- Registration Number
- NCT03620682
- Lead Sponsor
- Rush University Medical Center
- Brief Summary
Homelessness is associated with a multitude of negative consequences including an increased risk for mental health problems. Once homeless, these individuals face significant barriers to mental health care and are therefore less likely to receive the treatment they need. Mobile technology may offer a novel platform for increasing access to mental health care in this population. Thus, the primary goals of this pilot study are to (1) establish the feasibility and acceptability of delivering a brief cognitive-behavioral intervention to homeless youth via smartphone technology, (2) examine the extent to which brief cognitive-behavioral interventions delivered via mobile technology improve mental health and trauma-related psychological symptoms in homeless youth, and (3) establish smartphone usage patterns among homeless youth to inform future interventions.
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 35
- English-speaking
- Homeless as defined by lacking "a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence," (Department of Education) including youth who temporarily share the housing of others due to financial hardship
- Currently sleeping in a Chicago-based shelter (at least 50% of nights in the past week)
- Willingness and ability to comply with requirements of the study protocol
- Involvement in risky behaviors that could interfere with the ability to fully engage in the study, as determined by the Principal Investigator
- Current involvement in legal proceedings
- Mental retardation or significant cognitive impairment
- Significant suicidal ideation indicated by a BDI-II item 9 score ≥ 2 or enacted suicidal behaviors within 6 months prior to eligibility
- Any concurrent psychotherapy of any duration
- Inability to understand study procedures and participate in the informed consent process
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- SINGLE_GROUP
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Mobile mental health intervention Mobile applications Participants will receive emotional support and problem-solving / stress-management skills via over-the-phone coaching sessions and mobile applications. Mobile mental health intervention Coaching sessions Participants will receive emotional support and problem-solving / stress-management skills via over-the-phone coaching sessions and mobile applications.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Treatment adherence Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4) Adherence will be assessed based on number of coaching sessions attended over the course of the 1 month treatment period (range of 0 to 3).
Treatment satisfaction Treatment endpoint (week 4) Participants will be asked to report the extent to which they were satisfied with the study, the extent to which they thought the study was helpful, and whether they would recommend the study to someone else. These responses are recorded on 5-point likert type scales with higher ratings indicating higher satisfaction.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Depression symptoms Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4) Depression symptoms will be assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The range is from 0-27. Higher values represent worse depression symptoms.
Emotion Regulation Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4) Ability to regulate emotion will be assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Range is from 36 to 180. Higher scores suggest greater problems with emotion regulation.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4) PTSD symptoms will be assessed using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). The range is from 0-80. Higher values represent worse PTSD symptoms.
Risky sexual behavior and substance use Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4) Risky sexual behaviors and substance use will be assessed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2011).
Anxiety symptoms Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4) Current symptoms of anxiety will be assessed using the State Anxiety scale of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. Scores range from 20 to 80. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety.
Acceptability of treatment components Endpoint (week 4) At the end of the treatment period, participants will rate the extent to which they liked each of the different treatment components (coaching sessions, text messages, apps, tips). Participants will also be asked to report the extent to which they used the skills that they learned in the coaching sessions.