Girls In Recovery From Life Stress (GIRLS) Study
- Conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress DisorderPTSD
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Trauma Adaptive Recovery Group Education and TherapyBehavioral: Enhanced Treatment As Usual
- Registration Number
- NCT00751946
- Lead Sponsor
- UConn Health
- Brief Summary
This study will compare treatment outcomes of 90 adolescent girls who are (a) at high risk for delinquency and/or are juvenile justice involved, and (b) who are experiencing symptoms of PTSD: 45 of the girls will receive Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy (TARGET, Frisman, Ford, Lin, Mallon, \& Chang, in press), and their outcomes will be compared to 45 girls who receive Enhanced Treatment as Usual (ETAU). As part of their involvement, participants will make phone calls to provide data via an interactive voice response system (IVR), meet 3 times for a research interview, and be invited to participate in a cognitive assessment substudy at the Olin Neuropsychiatric Research Center at Hartford Hospital.
- Detailed Description
Hypotheses, Objectives and Aims:
The purpose of the GIRLS study is to provide counseling to adolescent girls who are (a) at high risk for delinquency and/or are juvenile justice involved and (b) are experiencing symptoms of PTSD, in order to help them regulate their emotions, planning, decision-making, and actions/ interactions in ways that will reduce PTSD and enhance their safety, responsible civic involvement, learning, peer, family, and adult relationships, and physical and psychological well-being. The study will be the first randomized clinical trial of a therapeutic intervention for complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)with girls: 1) Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy (TARGET; Frisman, Ford, Lin, Mallon, \& Chang, in press), compared to Enhanced Treatment as Usual (ETAU). Both interventions will provide 12 one-to-one manualized, educational and therapeutic sessions that teach coping skills and stress reduction techniques.
The aims of the study are:
Aim 1) To test if participation in TARGET results in clinically and statistically significant improvements in PTSD symptoms, psychosocial functioning, and emotion/impulse regulation.
Aim 2) To compare the differential affects of TARGET and ETAU on affect regulation, social support, stress-related information processing and cognitive coping, and the reduction of impulsive or aggressive thinking/behavior.
Aim 3) To identify changes in daily self-regulation after TARGET and ETAU.
An ethnically diverse sample of girls at high risk for delinquency and/or with current or past juvenile justice-involvement between 13 and 17 years of age will be recruited in clinic, community, detention, schools, and residential programs. After screening for eligibility and obtaining valid signed consent forms, participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two experimental conditions. Within each condition, trained clinicians will administer 12 sessions of individualized counseling using a manual for the intervention. Psychometric self-report and daily monitoring measures will be obtained at baseline, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up assessments and multivariate statistical techniques will be used for analysis of treatment effects.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- Female
- Target Recruitment
- 70
- Female
- Age 13-17 years old
- Past and/or current juvenile justice involvement AND/OR past and/or current delinquent behavior
- Able to obtain assent from youth
- Able to obtain consent from legal guardian
- Willing to assent/consent to be audiotaped for research purposes in assessment and intervention sessions
- Currently experiencing negative reactions to past traumas (PTSD symptoms)
- Imminently suicidal
- Past 30 days inpatient psychiatric treatment
- IF meetings take place at a school or group facility and the girl/participant is NOT willing to schedule appointments through the school or group facility staff
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description 1 Trauma Adaptive Recovery Group Education and Therapy 12 weekly sessions of one-to-one TARGET (psychotherapy) 2 Enhanced Treatment As Usual 12 weekly sessions of one-to-one ETAU (psychotherapy)
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Interview (CAPS-CA) assessing posttraumatic stress disorder and questionnaires (PTCI, IPSI, TMQ, TSCC) and clinician ratings (SOTS) assessing posttraumatic stress symptom severity. Post-treatment, 4-6 months post-treatment
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Questionnaires assessing problems with externalizing behaviors (Weinberger Adjustment Survey) and socioemotional strengths (Hope, NMR, Weinberger Adjustment Survey) Post-treatment and 4-6 months post-treatment
Trial Locations
- Locations (7)
University of Connecticut Health Center
🇺🇸Farmington, Connecticut, United States
Bellizzi Middle School
🇺🇸Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Gray Lodge Shelter for Women
🇺🇸Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Quirk Middle School
🇺🇸Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Weaver High School
🇺🇸Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Polaris School
🇺🇸East Hartford, Connecticut, United States
UCONN Health Partners
🇺🇸West Hartford, Connecticut, United States