Mentoring Program for At-Risk Teens

(FHF-T Trial)

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Denver

Disqualifiers: Severe violent behavior, Sexual perpetration, Incarceration, Developmental delay, Parenting, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 9 months

234 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This study will implement and evaluate a mentoring program designed to promote positive youth development and reduce adverse outcomes among maltreated adolescents with open child welfare cases. Teenagers who have been maltreated are at heightened risk for involvement in delinquency, substance use, and educational failure as a result of disrupted attachments with caregivers and exposure to violence within their homes and communities. Although youth mentoring is a widely used prevention approach nationally, it has not been rigorously studied for its effects in preventing these adverse outcomes among maltreated youth involved in the child welfare system. This randomized controlled trial will permit us to implement and evaluate the Fostering Healthy Futures for Teens (FHF-T) program, which will use mentoring and skills training within an innovative positive youth development (PYD) framework to promote adaptive functioning and prevent adverse outcomes. Graduate student mentors will deliver 9 months of prevention programming in teenagers' homes and communities. Mentors will focus on helping youth set and reach goals that will improve their functioning in five targeted "REACH" domains: Relationships, Education, Activities, Career, and Health. In reaching those goals, mentors will help youth build social-emotional skills associated with preventing adverse outcomes (e.g., emotion regulation, communication, problem solving). The randomized controlled trial will enroll 234 racially and ethnically diverse 8th and 9th grade youth (117 intervention, 117 control), who will provide data at baseline prior to randomization, immediately post-program and 15 months post program follow-up. The aims of the study include testing the efficacy of FHF-T for high-risk 8th and 9th graders in preventing adverse outcomes and examining whether better functioning in positive youth development domains mediates intervention effects. It is hypothesized that youth randomly assigned to the FHF-T prevention condition, relative to youth assigned to the control condition, will evidence better functioning on indices of positive youth development in the REACH domains leading to better long-term outcomes, including adaptive functioning, high school graduation, career attainment/employment, healthy relationships, and quality of life.

Do I have to stop taking my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment FHF-T in the Mentoring Program for At-Risk Teens?

The FHF-T program is an adaptation of the Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF) intervention, which has shown success in helping preadolescent children in foster care. The original FHF program is evidence-based and has been effective in mentoring and skill-building, suggesting that the adapted FHF-T program could also be beneficial for at-risk teens. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the Mentoring Program for At-Risk Teens safe for participants?

The Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF) program, which the Mentoring Program for At-Risk Teens is based on, has been implemented with preadolescent youth in foster care and involved graduate student mentors who reported positive experiences. There is no specific mention of safety concerns in the available research, suggesting it is generally considered safe. ^{1 2 3 6 7}

How is the FHF-T treatment different from other treatments for at-risk teens?

The FHF-T treatment is unique because it adapts an evidence-based mentoring and skills program originally designed for younger children in foster care to suit the developmental needs of high school adolescents with a history of out-of-home care, focusing on mentoring and skill-building rather than traditional therapeutic approaches. ^{1 2 4 8 9}

Research Team

Heather Taussig, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Denver

Kimberly Bender, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Denver

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for 8th or 9th graders with open child welfare cases due to maltreatment, living within a 35-minute radius of the University of Denver. It's not for those with moderate/severe developmental delays or physical disabilities, current or expecting parents, incarcerated youth, or those deemed unsafe for community-based programs.

Inclusion Criteria

Live within 35 minutes of the University of Denver (for mentoring feasibility)

Starting 8th or 9th grade

I am a teen in foster care, kinship care, or living at home with an open child welfare case.

Exclusion Criteria

Incarcerated at baseline

You are a young person who is currently a parent or will become a parent during the prevention program.

I have a significant developmental delay or physical disability.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Graduate student mentors deliver 9 months of prevention programming in teenagers' homes and communities, focusing on the REACH domains.

9 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment, with data collection immediately post-program and 15 months post-program.

15 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• FHF-T

Trial Overview The Fostering Healthy Futures for Teens (FHF-T) program is being tested. This mentoring and skills training aims to improve adolescents' relationships, education, activities, career prospects, and health over nine months.

Participant Groups

Group I: FHF-T Intervention Group Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

9 months of 1:1 youth mentoring by graduate-student mentors; workshops; educational advocacy

Group II: Control group Active Control 1 Intervention

Services as usual

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Denver

Lead Sponsor

Trials

25

Recruited

10,600+

Findings from Research

The Fostering Healthy Futures (FHF) program, which involved 50 mentors working with preadolescent youth in foster care, was reported as very helpful in training mentors to support high-risk children and families effectively.

Mentors highlighted the program's effectiveness in preparing them to engage with diverse communities and collaborate with various professionals, indicating a positive impact on their mentoring skills.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mentoring Children in Foster Care: Impact on Graduate Student Mentors. Taussig, HN., Culhane, SE., Raviv, T., et al.[2021]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Fostering Healthy Futures for Teens: Adaptation of an Evidence-Based Program. [2020]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mentoring Children in Foster Care: Impact on Graduate Student Mentors. [2021]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Long-Term Professional Mentoring Program for Children at Risk: Outcomes Across the First 5 Years. [2022]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Piloting the use of teen mentors to promote a healthy diet and physical activity among children in Appalachia. [2016]

5. Ireland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Increasing patient activation scores of vulnerable youth by partnering medical residency programs with public high schools. [2022]

6. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The High-Risk Young People's Program. A summing up. [2019]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Intervention Effects on Health-Risking Sexual Behavior Among Girls in Foster Care: The Role of Placement Disruption and Tobacco and Marijuana Use. [2021]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Time-limited, structured youth mentoring and adolescent problem behaviors. [2020]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Near Peer Mentors to Address Socio-Emotional Issues Among Underrepresented Minority High School Students in Research Intensive STEM Programs: Perceptions of Students and Mentors. [2021]