Clinical trial NCT01941069: School Climate and Children's Behavioral Health
Official title: Targeting School Climate and Children's Behavioral Health in Urban Schools
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Consultation (LLS)
Consultation and Coaching (HLS)
Lead sponsor: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Devereux Foundation, Pennsylvania
name: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
name: The School District of Philadelphia
First posted: 2013-09-13
Enrollment: 437
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 8
Maximum age (years): 15
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: The overall purpose of this project is to determine whether school personnel implementing a two-tier School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS, an evidence based intervention) program for typically developing children as well as children with, or at risk for, externalizing or anxiety disorders can implement the components of the program with the same level of fidelity, integrity and clinical effectiveness when they receive a low level of support (consultation) from their coaches and supervisors as they can with a high level of support (consultation and coaching).

Detailed description: Demonstrating that school personnel can implement evidence based interventions (EBIs) for externalizing and anxiety problems with a high degree of fidelity, integrity and clinical effectiveness could spur more initiatives toward the adoption of EBIs in urban schools, thus further lowering health disparities in these settings. The overall purpose of this project is to determine whether school personnel implementing a two-tier School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS, an evidence based intervention) program for typically developing children as well as children with, or at risk for, externalizing or anxiety disorders can implement the components of the program with the same level of fidelity, integrity and clinical effectiveness when they receive a low level of support (consultation) from their coaches and supervisors as they can with a high level of support (consultation and coaching). This study will target six schools within the Philadelphia School District (PSD). Within those 6 schools, research participants will consist of students (grades 4-8) and school staff members. The investigators will evaluate 1) the effectiveness of SWPBS with consultation and coaching, as compared to the baseline and to SWPBS with consultation only; in reducing office discipline referrals (ODRs) and improving school climate, and children's grades, diagnostic status, symptom severity and impairment; 2) the effectiveness of the SWPBS with consultation and coaching, as compared to SWPBS with consultation only, in increasing program fidelity and integrity.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* All 6 participating schools are included in Tier 1.
* The inclusion criteria for Tier 2 includes children in grades 3-8, who are referred by a school staff member because of behavioral or emotional difficulties or because they have received 3 or more Office Discipline Referrals. Children who consent to participate in the project.

Exclusion Criteria:

* There are no exclusion criteria for Tier 1.
* The exclusion criteria for Tier 2 include any child in grades 3-8 whose family chooses not to consent to screening or participate in the intervention, has Special Education classification of "Intellectual Disability", who is not able to communicate in English, or has a history of psychotic or autistic spectrum disorders.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Level of Support During Implementation
timeFrame: 48 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Cost Benefit Analyses
timeFrame: 48 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Philadelphia
country: United States
facility: The School District of Philadelphia
state: Pennsylvania
Study officials:
affiliation: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
name: Ricardo B. Eiraldi, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Eiraldi R, Mautone JA, Khanna MS, Power TJ, Orapallo A, Cacia J, Schwartz BS, McCurdy B, Keiffer J, Paidipati C, Kanine R, Abraham M, Tulio S, Swift L, Bressler SN, Cabello B, Jawad AF. Group CBT for Externalizing Disorders in Urban Schools: Effect of Training Strategy on Treatment Fidelity and Child Outcomes. Behav Ther. 2018 Jul;49(4):538-550. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2018.01.001. Epub 2018 Jan 6.
citation: Eiraldi R, McCurdy B, Khanna M, Mautone J, Jawad AF, Power T, Cidav Z, Cacia J, Sugai G. A cluster randomized trial to evaluate external support for the implementation of positive behavioral interventions and supports by school personnel. Implement Sci. 2014 Jan 15;9:12. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-9-12.