A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Positive Youth Development and Teacher Wellness in Rural Montana
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- Montana State University
- Enrollment
- 83
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Patient Health Questionnaire
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Compared to U.S. urban counterparts, rural residents face major barriers to using health care services. Challenges include shortages of services, long distances to existing services, and stigma regarding mental illness in isolated communities. These difficulties hold true for Montana, but especially for adolescents. The objective of A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Positive Youth Development and Teacher Wellness in Rural Montana is to improve stress-related mental and physical health outcomes for adolescents and educators in rural Montana through school-based, trauma-informed yoga exercises. This project builds on investigators' previous research (including a two-year CAIRHE pilot study, 2019-21) to promote positive youth development by simultaneously intervening with students and teachers with a trauma-informed yoga intervention. Geographic isolation and resulting lack of resources for many Montanan schools indicates a need for novel, school-centered interventions to address the needs of rural adolescents; yoga can benefit youth and teacher wellbeing.
Detailed Description
In Year 2, investigators will expand the study to pilot test a remote delivery for students and teachers in rural schools through virtual delivery (in addition to an in-person high school student intervention at the school district of Aim 1. Primary outcomes for teachers will assess career satisfaction/self-efficacy; primary outcomes for students will assess depression/anxiety symptomology. Effects on secondary mental/physical health outcomes will be drawn from survey results, cortisol levels, and heart rate variability measures (collected pre/post).
Investigators will then determine which intervention design was more effective with students (in-person vs. remote) between the two years of this feasibility study through an outcome evaluation. Comparisons of mental and physical health outcomes will be examined by the research team using cohort data drawn from participants' physiological data and survey results.
The short-term public health impact of this study is to improve the mental and physical health of rural Montana youth and teachers through a novel, school-based intervention. If successful, this study's long-term public health impact will reduce rates of anxiety and depression and improve physical health in geographically isolated settings.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Non Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Supportive Care
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 13 Years to 85 Years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Any teacher currently employed by the Livingston or Gardiner school district who wishes to participate in the intervention (up to 45 participants)
- •Any freshmen student enrolled in pre-selected PE classes at Park High School in Livingston Montana
- •Any PE student enrolled in pre-selected PE classes at Gardiner High School in Gardiner Montana
Exclusion Criteria
- •Any students that are not enrolled in pre-selected PE classes at Park or Gardiner High Schools in Southwest Montana
Arms & Interventions
High School Students: Remote Delivery
Remote delivery of trauma-informed yoga session for high school students
Intervention: Trauma-Informed Yoga (Behavioral)
High School Students: Face-to-Face Delivery
Face-to-face delivery of trauma-informed yoga session for high school students
Intervention: Trauma-Informed Yoga (Behavioral)
Teachers: Remote Delivery
Remote delivery of trauma-informed yoga session for teachers
Intervention: Trauma-Informed Yoga (Behavioral)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Patient Health Questionnaire
Time Frame: Pre-Intervention: First day of Week 1 and Post-Intervention, last day of Week 6
This 9 item questionnaire is designed to evaluate severity of depressive symptoms in participants. 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
Time Frame: Pre-Intervention: First day of Week 1 and Post-Intervention, last day of Week 6
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.
Salivary Cortisol Levels
Time Frame: Pre-Intervention, first day of Week 1 and post-intervention, last day of Week 6
Participants 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 (week 1) and on the last day of the intervention (week 6) 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
Heart Rate Variability
Time Frame: Pre-Intervention: First day of Week 1 and Post-Intervention, last day of Week 6
Participants enrolled will have their heart rate data measured by the Biopac BioNomadix PPG \& EDA System with Pulse Transduce to determine heart rate variability. Due to circumstances beyond the research team's control, only teachers at one study site were able to provide heart rate variability data, so fewer than our total enrollment was able to provide this data.
Secondary Outcomes
- Professional Quality of Life Index (Pro-QOL)(Pre-Intervention: First day of Week 1 and Post-Intervention, last day of Week 6)
- Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)(Pre-Intervention: First day of Week 1 and Post-Intervention, last day of Week 6)
- Teachers' Sense of Self-Efficacy (Short Form)(Pre-Intervention: First day of Week 1 and Post-Intervention, last day of Week 6)
- PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Scales(Pre-Intervention: First day of Week 1 and Post-Intervention, last day of Week 6)
- PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)(Pre-Intervention: First day of Week 1 and Post-Intervention, last day of Week 6)
Investigators
Lauren Davis
Assistant Professor
Montana State University