Clinical trial NCT01323231: XY-Zone Program Evaluation: A School-Based Dropout Prevention Program for At-Risk Youth
Official title: XY-Zone Phase 1 Program Evaluation: A School-Based Dropout Prevention Program for At-Risk Male Youth
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE1
PHASE2
Conditions: Adolescent Problem Behavior at School
Risk Behavior
Truancy; Socialized
Keywords: XY-Zone
school drop-out risk
protective factors
truancy
Lead sponsor: University of Texas at Austin
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Ronya and George Kozmetsky (RGK) Foundation
First posted: 2011-03-25
Enrollment: 91
Sex: MALE
Minimum age (years): 13
Maximum age (years): 20
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The objective of this study is to build upon preliminary research and conduct a pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial on a promising culturally-grounded and gender-specific treatment program, the XY-Zone. The central hypothesis underlying this study purports that through receiving the XY-Zone treatment, adolescents will decrease their risk for dropping out of school. This hypothesis is supported by two years of preliminary data investigating the effectiveness of the XY-Zone.

To test the central hypothesis, the following specific aims will be pursued:

1. Identify school dropout risk and protective factors (protective factors defined as: adult support and peer support; risk factors defined as: low school attendance, inability to achieve grade promotion, substance use, delinquency, school disconnectedness, misbehavior, disconnection from healthy peers) directly changed as a result of XY-Zone intervention.
2. Determine the extent to which moderating variables (affective strength, duration in the program, family functioning, interpersonal strength, intrapersonal strength, level achieved in the program, and resiliency) effect change in outcome variables (risk and protective factors).
3. Identify participants' beliefs about the impact of the mechanisms of change (respect, responsibility, relationship, role modeling, and reaching out) on outcome variables (risk and protective factors ) to enrich understanding of quantitative data.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Students eligible to receive the XY-Zone must display one of the following risk factors:

  * academic risks (failed classes, failed state examination text, lack of class participation, and homework incompletion)
  * attendance risks (absences and tardies)
  * behavioral risks (gang involvement, substance use, classroom conduct, social skills, self-esteem, violence, delinquent conduct, and family or emotional crisis)and
  * social service issues (difficulty with the following: college readiness, life skills, health, career/employment, housing, day care, and grief or loss).

Exclusion Criteria:

* Youth who do not display any of the identified risk factors

Primary outcomes:
measure: Youth Self Report
timeFrame: One Year
measure: Substance Use Self Report
timeFrame: One Year
measure: School Records
timeFrame: One Year
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale- II (Youth Report)
timeFrame: One Year
measure: Resilience Scale
timeFrame: One Year
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Austin
country: United States
facility: Communities in Schools
state: Texas
Study officials:
affiliation: Washington University in Saint Louis
name: Katherine L Montgomery, PhD, MSSW
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: The University of Texas at Austin
name: David W Springer, PhD
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: Allen, A. (2008). The XY-Zone project evaluation of Communities in Schools-Central Texas. Independent Outcome Evaluation.
citation: Achenbach, T.M. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/ 4-18 and 1991 Profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.
citation: Epstein, M.H., Mooney, P., Ryser, G., & Pierce, C.D. (2004). Validity and reliability of the behavioral and emotional rating scale (2nd edition): Youth rating scale. Research on Social Work Practice, 14, 358-367.
citation: Hser YI, Grella CE, Hubbard RL, Hsieh SC, Fletcher BW, Brown BS, Anglin MD. An evaluation of drug treatments for adolescents in 4 US cities. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2001 Jul;58(7):689-95. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.58.7.689.
citation: Kristiansen, P.L. & Hubbard, R.L. (2001). Methodological overview and research design for adolescents in the drug abuse treatment outcome studies. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16, 545-562.
citation: Wagnild GM, Young HM. Development and psychometric evaluation of the Resilience Scale. J Nurs Meas. 1993 Winter;1(2):165-78.
citation: Singer, J. D. and Willett, J. B. (2003). Applied longitudinal data analysis: Methods for studying change and event occurrence. New York: Oxford University Press.
citation: Creswell J.W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
citation: Miles M.B. & Huberman, A.M. (1994). Making good sense: Drawing and verifying conclusions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.