NCT02037750

Foster Teens' Risk During Transition

Foster Teens' Risk During Transition: Preventing Drug Use, HIV, & School Problems

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 173 (actual)
• Sponsor: Oregon Social Learning Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 9 Years – 13 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to conduct a randomized effectiveness trial to determine whether adding a preventive intervention at the transition from elementary to middle school is effective and cost effective in terms of ameliorating outcomes such as drug and tobacco use, participation in HIV- risking sexual behavior, delinquency, mental health problems, and school failure for young adolescents in foster care. The proposed LINKS intervention marries the goals of child welfare and educational systems. The aims are: a) to determine the effectiveness of the LINKS intervention on key behavioral health and school adjustment outcomes, b) to examine mechanisms of action; specifically the mediating effects of placement failure on outcomes, c) to examine the moderating role of fidelity on outcomes, and d) to examine cost effectiveness and cost avoidance of LINKS.

Conditions

• School Adjustment
• Foster Care Disruptions

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	LINKS	In the LINKS, foster/kin parents will participate in weekly group meetings led by well-trained and supervised paraprofessional facilitators (school behavioral aids and foster parents) where the curriculum is based on parent management training (PMT). In previous studies, attendance at such groups has been high, averaging about 75-80%. Missed sessions will be "made up" with an in-person visit to the foster/kin home during the week of the original session. In addition, youth in the intervention condition will receive individual skill building sessions from a Life Skills Coach to increase their competency at goal setting, refusal skills, and peer relations.

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-12-01
• Primary completion: 2018-06-01
• Completion: 2018-06-01
• First posted: 2014-01-16
• Last updated: 2018-11-23

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States