A Trauma-Informed Approach for Positive Youth Development for Montana Students

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: Given the prevalence of suicide and mental health issues in rural Montana, this project is intended to help mitigate stressors that may contribute to poor behavioral and mental health in high school-aged children. The immediate goal is to determine viability of a partnership with a rural southwestern Montana school and test the feasibility of a piloted implementation of a trauma-informed yoga intervention to address behavioral health outcomes and positive youth development.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Students enrolled in a specific weight training class at predetermined high school in rural Montana

Exclusion Criteria

Students not enrolled in a specific weight training class at predetermined high school in rural Montana

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Experimental Group	Trauma-Informed Yoga	18 high school students in a weight training class will be assigned to this experimental group and will receive the one-hour intervention twice weekly for 8 weeks.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Salivary Cortisol Testing	Baseline and 4 weeks (Midpoint)	Students will provide a saliva sample in which cortisol levels will be analyzed through salivary assay kits (through Salimetrics.com). Samples will be collected on the first day of the intervention, halfway through the intervention, and on the last day of the intervention to determine if the intervention has improved stress levels (as indicated by a reduction in cortisol levels). A biostatistician will provide analysis and conclusion of these samples at the conclusion of the study.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents	Baseline and 7 weeks after beginning of intervention	This 9 item questionnaire is designed to evaluate severity of depressive symptoms in adolescents. It is scored on a Likert scale from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day) on items linked to depression indicators. The minimum score is a 0 and the maximum score is a 27, and a reduction in score from pre- to post-assessment indicates an improvement in symptomology.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Anxiety Scale	Baseline and 7 weeks after beginning of intervention	This 7 item questionnaire is based on a likert scale of 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day) for items related to anxiety disorders. The lowest score is a zero and the maximum score is a 21. A reduction in score from pre- to post-assessment indicates an improvement in symptomology.
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for Ages 11-17 (Overall Score)	Baseline and 7 weeks after beginning of intervention	This 25 item questionnaire is a brief emotional and behavioral scale for adolescents based on psychological attributes. Items are scored on a Likert scale from 0 (Not True) to 2 (Certainly True). The range in overall scores is 0-40. A reduction in score from pre- to post-assessment indicates an improvement in symptomology/outcomes.