A Fighting Chance: Pilot Study of a Group Mentoring Intervention for Assault Injured Youth

N/ACompletedNCT04120441

Johns Hopkins University14 enrolled

Overview

This pilot study is a randomized controlled trial in which assault-injured 12-14 year old youth recruited from the emergency department (ED) are randomly assigned to standard care or "A Fighting Chance" group mentoring.

The goal of this project is to adapt, implement and evaluate Take Charge! (a 1:1 mentoring intervention for assault-injured youth) for a group mentoring model. This pilot study is a randomized controlled trial in which assault-injured 12-14 year old youth recruited from the emergency department are randomly assigned to standard care or "A Fighting Chance" group mentoring that includes a violence prevention curriculum and parent sessions. Immediately post-intervention and again at six-month follow up, youth violence-related, mental health and educational outcomes using validated measures will be assessed.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Violence

Interventions

Group Mentoring/InterventionBEHAVIORAL

Study participants randomized to intervention will be enrolled in a Y in Central Maryland group mentoring program that meets weekly over a three month period. Parents will participate in three parenting sessions.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 12 YearsMax age: 14 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Injury: Eligible youth have been treated in the ED for an interpersonal intentional injuries excluding child abuse, sexual abuse, sibling fights, police fights, and other domestic violence-related fights involving relatives and/or household residents. These excluded types of violence have a different set of complex dynamics and services needs requiring separate study and intervention. * Age: Eligible youth are age 12-14 years (i.e. up to the 14th birthday) and youths' parents/guardians are age 18 years and older. * Mental/Physical Status: Youth and parents must have the cognitive ability to participate in the intervention. Those with severe psychopathology (i.e. severe history of mental illness with multiple psychiatric hospitalizations) or inability to comprehend questions, will be excluded. * Language: English-speaking ability of the parent and child is necessary to enable participation in the intervention, training and assessments. * Mentorship: Eligible youth are not currently participating in a formal mentoring program. Exclusion criteria: Additionally, there are youth eligibility criteria set by Y in Central Maryland policies which the investigators will follow. These include: * Residence: Youth are not eligible if residence is outside of Baltimore City. * Custody/child protection status: Youth are not eligible if youth have a caregiver currently involved in an ongoing custody dispute or Child Protective Services investigation. Youth are not eligible if youth live somewhere other than a residential setting with parents/guardians.

Locations (1)

Johns Hopkins Children's Center

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Proportion of intervention participants attending > 80% of sessions

For this pilot study, the main outcome measure is that of feasibility. Specifically, the investigators will assess feasibility by determining the proportion of intervention participants that attend \>80% (10 or more) sessions.

Time frame: 4-6 month follow up

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.