Communities That Care for Juvenile Delinquency

(CYDS IV Trial)

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Washington

Disqualifiers: Illiteracy, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 47

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial focuses on whether a system called Communities That Care (CTC) can reduce issues like drug use, violence, and risky behavior among young people. The goal is to determine if communities using CTC achieve better long-term health and social outcomes compared to those that do not. Researchers are also examining how different environments might influence marijuana use from childhood into adulthood. Suitable participants include those who lived in one of the 24 participating communities at the study's start and were students in certain grades. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to community health improvements and gain insights into effective prevention strategies.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

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

What prior data suggests that the Communities That Care system is safe for reducing juvenile delinquency?

Research has shown that the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system is safe and well-received. In studies involving 24 communities across seven states, CTC reduced risky behaviors like drug use and delinquency among young people. Specifically, kids who participated in CTC from 5th to 9th grade were much more likely to avoid drugs and bad behavior by 12th grade compared to those not in the program.

No reports of negative effects or harm emerged from participation in CTC, indicating it is a safe option for communities aiming to improve public health. Overall, evidence supports CTC as a safe and effective way to reduce negative behaviors in youth. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Communities That Care (CTC) intervention because it offers a unique approach to preventing juvenile delinquency by focusing on community-driven change. Unlike traditional methods that often center on punitive measures or individual counseling, CTC empowers communities to identify their specific needs and implement proven prevention programs. This approach includes comprehensive training, technical assistance, and funding support, which helps communities sustain these efforts long-term. By tailoring interventions to the unique characteristics of each community, CTC has the potential to reduce juvenile delinquency more effectively than one-size-fits-all strategies.

What evidence suggests that the Communities That Care intervention is effective for reducing juvenile delinquency?

Research has shown that the Communities That Care (CTC) program reduces problem behaviors in teenagers. In this trial, some communities will implement the CTC program, which has been linked to more positive influences, resulting in lower rates of substance use and delinquency among young people. Specifically, teens who participated in CTC from Grades 5 through 9 were more likely to avoid substance use and delinquent behavior by Grade 12. Additionally, CTC has successfully reduced violent offenses among young people. This prevention program uses proven methods to support healthy youth development and improve outcomes. Meanwhile, communities in the no intervention arm will continue their usual prevention services without the CTC program. ^{1 2 3 5 6}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Margaret Kuklinski, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

University of Washington

Sabrina Oesterle, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

University of Arizona

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for community leaders or prevention service providers in certain communities, students from the Class of 2011 panel sample or those in grades 6, 8, 10, or 12 during survey years, and residents at baseline in one of the participating communities. It excludes individuals who can't understand consent materials/survey questions in English or Spanish.

Inclusion Criteria

I am part of the Class of 2011 panel or was in grades 6, 8, 10, or 12 during the survey year.

Community leader or prevention service provider in one of the participating communities

Resident at baseline in one of the 24 participating communities

Exclusion Criteria

I can read and understand consent materials in English or Spanish.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention Implementation

Communities received training, technical assistance, and funding to implement the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system

5 years

Annual community assessments

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for long-term effects of CTC on substance use, antisocial behavior, and violence

16-18 years

Surveys at ages 21, 23, 26, and 28

Continuation Study

Evaluation of the long-term effects of CTC on primary and secondary outcomes, including the impact of changing marijuana norms

5 years

Surveys at ages 26 and 28

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Communities That Care

Trial Overview The study tests 'Communities That Care' (CTC), a system aiming to improve public health by reducing adolescent drug use, delinquency, violence, and risky sexual behavior. The focus is on long-term effects on substance abuse and antisocial behavior into young adulthood.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Communities That Care Intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Communities randomly assigned to the experimental condition received 5 years of training and technical assistance (from 2003 to 2008) to implement the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system in their communities. They also received 5 years of funding to support a full-time community coordinator and 4 years of seed money to implement tested and effective prevention programs selected as a result of their CTC process.

Group II: No intervention Active Control 1 Intervention

Communities in the no intervention arm received no intervention from the project and continued to implement prevention services as usual.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Washington

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,858

Recruited

2,023,000+

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Collaborator

Trials

2,658

Recruited

3,409,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

The study revealed that adverse drug event (ADE) reporting is low among consumers and community pharmacists in Thailand, highlighting a need for improved awareness and motivation to report these events.

Key factors influencing ADE reporting included awareness and attitude towards reporting, complications in the reporting process, and the need for better feedback and training for pharmacists, suggesting that targeted interventions could enhance reporting rates.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Consumers' adverse drug event reporting via community pharmacists: three stakeholder perception. Kitisopee, T., Assanee, J., Sorofman, BA., et al.[2022]

A symposium with 31 healthcare professionals highlighted that preventing adverse events in community care requires a multi-faceted approach involving policy changes at various levels, including system integration and improved communication among providers.

Key recommendations from the symposium include prioritizing education for clinicians and caregivers, enhancing organizational culture, and leveraging technology to improve patient safety and reduce adverse events.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adverse events in community care: implications for practice, policy and research. Masotti, P., Green, M., McColl, MA.[2019]

A consensus workshop with 31 healthcare professionals identified and ranked common adverse events in community care, highlighting the need for better understanding of how these events affect care quality.

The workshop emphasized the importance of further research to establish standardized definitions of adverse events and to prioritize research questions that can improve patient safety in community care settings.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adverse events in community care: developing a research agenda. Masotti, P., Green, M., Shortt, S., et al.[2022]

In a study involving 1618 first-time mothers, a new classification system for adverse events (AEs) was developed, distinguishing between Medical and Social AEs, with 1033 Medical and 257 Social events reported.

Poorer psycho-social status was a significant predictor for both types of AEs, with younger age and receiving benefits linked to Social AEs, while having a long-term illness and poorer mental health were associated with Medical AEs, highlighting the importance of considering social outcomes in safety monitoring.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Monitoring adverse social and medical events in public health trials: assessing predictors and interpretation against a proposed model of adverse event reporting. Moody, G., Addison, K., Cannings-John, R., et al.[2020]

In a study of 936 emergency department presentations, 9.2% were directly caused by unintentional adverse drug events (ADEs), highlighting a significant burden on emergency care.

Most of these ADE-related presentations (79.1%) were found to be preventable, suggesting that coordinated efforts across healthcare systems could effectively reduce medication-related harm.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Retrospective study of the prevalence and characteristics of adverse drug events in adults who present to an Australian emergency department. Brown, NJ., Doran, E., Greenslade, JH., et al.[2022]

Citations

1. nationalgangcenter.ojp.gov nationalgangcenter.ojp.gov/spt/Programs/4395

Communities That Care | National Gang Center Youth exposed to CTC from Grades 5 through 9 were significantly more likely to abstain from substance use and delinquency through Grade 12, even though few ...

2. communitiesthatcare.net communitiesthatcare.net/programs/ctc-plus/

CTC PLUS Using prevention science as its base, CTC promotes healthy youth development, improves youth outcomes, and reduces problem behaviors. How to Get Started. The ...

3. blueprintsprograms.org blueprintsprograms.org/programs/444999999/communities-that-care/print/

Communities That Care A prevention system designed to reduce levels of adolescent delinquency and substance use through the selection and use of effective preventative interventions.

4. link.springer.com link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12103-025-09811-0

Effects of the Communities that Care (CTC) Prevention ... The primary violence outcome was official youth (aged 10–24) annual arrests for violent offenses, measured for five years prior to the ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4418962/

Effects of the Communities That Care Prevention System ... In a community-randomized controlled trial, this study tested the effect of Communities That Care (CTC) on protective factors in 24 communities across 7 states.

6. blueprintsprograms.org blueprintsprograms.org/programs/444999999/communities-that-care/

Communities that Care (CTC) program Outcomes · The incidence of alcohol use, cigarette use, and delinquency was lower by grade 10 among students in CTC communities than in control communities. · The ...