180 Participants Needed

Mentoring Program for Mental Health

(SMART Trial)

DD
CH
Overseen ByCarla Herrera, PhD
Age: < 18
Sex: Any
Trial Phase: Academic
Sponsor: University of Illinois at Chicago
Stay on Your Current MedsYou can continue your current medications while participating
No Placebo GroupAll trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)
Approved in 1 JurisdictionThis treatment is already approved in other countries

Trial Summary

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

The trial does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems likely that you can continue your current mental health treatments while participating.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Great Life Mentoring (GLM) for mental health?

Research shows that mentoring can help improve mental health and quality of life, as seen in medical students and at-risk youth. Mentoring programs have been found to enhance personal development and support positive changes in young people, which suggests that GLM could be beneficial for mental health.12345

Is the Mentoring Program for Mental Health safe for participants?

There is no specific safety data available for the Mentoring Program for Mental Health or its related names like Great Life Mentoring, GLM, or 4Results Mentoring. However, in general, behavioral health interventions often have limited monitoring for adverse events, which means potential side effects might not be fully documented.678910

How does the Mentoring Program for Mental Health differ from other treatments for mental health conditions?

The Mentoring Program for Mental Health is unique because it uses a peer mentor approach, where individuals with similar experiences provide support and guidance, enhancing traditional mental health interventions. This method focuses on community involvement and personal connection, which can be more relatable and supportive for participants compared to standard clinical treatments.1112131415

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of this clinical trial is to test effects of the Great Life Mentoring (GLM) program on the mental health and adaptive functioning on school-age youth (ages 9-16) from low-income families who are receiving outpatient mental health services. The main questions it aims to answer are:• Does participation in the GLM program improve mental health and related outcomes among school-age youth (9- to 16-years-old) from low-income families as an adjunct to outpatient mental health services? 180 youth will be enrolled in the study and assigned randomly to either continue mental health services as usual (SAU) or to continue mental health services while also participating in GLM (SAU+GLM). Participating youth, and their parent/guardians and therapists, will be surveyed annually. Mental health services records also will be obtained with appropriate permissions. . Researchers will compare the SAU and SAU+GLM groups to see if participation in GLM has an effect on the mental health and related outcomes of study youth.

Research Team

DD

David DuBois, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Illinois Chicago

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for school-age youth, ages 9-16, from low-income families who are currently receiving outpatient mental health services. To participate, they must have consent from their parent or guardian and agree to annual surveys as well as sharing their mental health service records.

Inclusion Criteria

Youth meets eligibility criteria for the Great Life Mentoring program, which include receiving publically-subsidized outpatient mental health care
I am between 9 and 16 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

My parents' first language is not English.
I do not have cognitive difficulties that prevent me from completing study tasks.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive outpatient mental health services with or without the Great Life Mentoring (GLM) program for an average of 2 years

2 years
Weekly community meetings with mentors for GLM group

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for mental health outcomes and adaptive functioning annually

1 year
Annual surveys and mental health records review

Treatment Details

Interventions

  • Great Life Mentoring
Trial Overview The study is testing the Great Life Mentoring (GLM) program's impact on improving mental health and adaptive functioning in youths. Participants will either continue with standard outpatient services (SAU) or receive SAU plus GLM. The two groups' outcomes will be compared over time.
Participant Groups
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: GLM + Services as UsualExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
The Great Life Mentoring program (GLM) provides volunteer-based mentoring for school-age youth from low-resource families who are receiving outpatient mental health care. Each youth is paired with a mentor with whom they spend time in the community on a weekly basis for at least one year. Mentors are required to complete a 20-hour intensive training prior to being paired with a youth. Mentors also receive monthly in-person supervision from GLM staff for the first year of their meetings, which continues on an as-needed basis thereafter. Training and supervision are geared toward the unique opportunities and challenges that can occur when mentoring a youth with mental health needs. The goal is for the mentor to become an integral part of the child's mental health treatment, but the mentoring relationship is also sustained after treatment ends.
Group II: Services as UsualActive Control1 Intervention
Outpatient mental health services as usual

Find a Clinic Near You

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Illinois at Chicago

Lead Sponsor

Trials
653
Recruited
1,574,000+

Herrera Consulting Group, LLC

Collaborator

Trials
3
Recruited
2,300+

Findings from Research

A study involving 95 medical students found that a longitudinal mentoring program did not significantly improve mental health, quality of life, or academic motivation compared to students without mentoring.
The lack of significant results suggests that implementing and evaluating effective mentoring programs in medical education can be challenging, indicating a need for further research and refinement of such initiatives.
Implementation of a Longitudinal Mentorship Program for Quality of Life, Mental Health, and Motivation of Brazilian Medical Students.Bechara Secchin, LS., da Silva Ezequiel, O., Vitorino, LM., et al.[2021]
Mentees in foster care experienced shorter mentoring matches and were more likely to have their matches close prematurely compared to those not in foster care, indicating a need for targeted support in these relationships.
The study found that the implementation of benchmark program practices was associated with longer match lengths for mentees in foster care, suggesting that structured mentoring practices can enhance the stability of these relationships.
Supporting Mentoring Relationships of Youth in Foster Care: Do Program Practices Predict Match Length?Stelter, RL., Kupersmidt, JB., Stump, KN.[2019]
The PsychStart mentoring scheme for medical students interested in psychiatry has shown to enhance personal and professional development, increase career knowledge, and broaden exposure to the field.
This mentoring program may help sustain interest in psychiatry as a specialty, suggesting it could be a valuable tool for improving recruitment and retention in the field.
PsychStart: a novel mentoring scheme for supporting and valuing medical students interested in psychiatry.Hewson, T., Thomas, N., Lovett, K., et al.[2022]

References

Implementation of a Longitudinal Mentorship Program for Quality of Life, Mental Health, and Motivation of Brazilian Medical Students. [2021]
Supporting Mentoring Relationships of Youth in Foster Care: Do Program Practices Predict Match Length? [2019]
PsychStart: a novel mentoring scheme for supporting and valuing medical students interested in psychiatry. [2022]
Outcomes of mentoring programs in psychiatry training: a literature review. [2022]
Rewriting stories of trauma through peer-to-peer mentoring for and by at-risk young people. [2019]
Development and Pilot of a Process for Regularly Sharing Summary Patient Safety Data. [2023]
A new paradigm for mental-health quality and safety: are we ready? [2019]
Reducing adverse medication events in mental health: Australian National Survey. [2020]
Variability in the definition and reporting of adverse events in suicide prevention trials: an examination of the issues and a proposed solution. [2022]
10.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The need for expanded monitoring of adverse events in behavioral health clinical trials. [2012]
11.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The use of peer mentors to enhance a smoking cessation intervention for persons with serious mental illnesses. [2019]
12.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Senior reach outcomes in comparison with the Spokane Gatekeeper program. [2019]
13.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Randomized trial of social rehabilitation and integrated health care for older people with severe mental illness. [2021]
Serenity Integrated Mentoring and the High Intensity Network: a scheme that raises serious questions for practice and governance in UK psychiatry. [2023]
15.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Outcomes of senior reach gatekeeper referrals: comparison of the Spokane gatekeeper program, Colorado Senior Reach, and Mid-Kansas Senior Outreach. [2019]
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