NCT03776422

Homeless Youth Study - Stepping Stone 2.0

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 100 (actual)
• Sponsor: Rush University Medical Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 16 Years – 25 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Housing instability is both a cause and consequence of mental health problems. As such youth experiencing housing instability (e.g., homeless or marginally housed) have higher rates of mental health problems.Because of their circumstances, these youth also face significant barriers to mental health care and are therefore less likely to receive the treatment that they need. Mobile technology may offer a novel platform for increasing access to mental health care in this population. The primary goals of this pilot study are to (1) establish the feasibility and acceptability of delivering automated mental health interventions via smartphone technology, (2) examine the extent to which automated mental health interventions delivered via mobile technology improve mental health in homeless, marginally-housed, and exiting foster youth.

Conditions

• Mental Health Issue (E.G., Depression, Psychosis, Personality Disorder, Substance Abuse)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Mobile self-help intervention	Participants receive several apps on their phone including IntelliCare apps, which are based on principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Participants also receive the Pocket Helper app, which has been designed for this study. The tools within the Pocket Helper app include a crisis text line that is available 24/7, the Illinois Warm Line which is available Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm, directions to call 911 in the case of an emergency, the Koko web app that provides crowdsourced emotional support, brief cognitive-behavioral interventions, daily tips, and daily surveys. Phones will also include the StreetLight Chicago app, which provides homeless individuals with up-to-date information on shelters, health clinics, emergency contacts, mental health services, and more.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-12-21
• Primary completion: 2019-07-08
• Completion: 2019-07-08
• First posted: 2018-12-14
• Last updated: 2019-09-27

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States