Clinical trial NCT03620682: Homeless Youth Study - Stepping Stone Project
Official title: Using Smartphone Technology to Provide Mental Health Interventions for Homeless Youth
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Mental Health
Lead sponsor: Rush University Medical Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2018-08-08
Enrollment: 35
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 23
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: Homelessness is associated with a multitude of negative consequences including an increased risk for mental health problems. Once homeless, these individuals face significant barriers to mental health care and are therefore less likely to receive the treatment they need. Mobile technology may offer a novel platform for increasing access to mental health care in this population. Thus, the primary goals of this pilot study are to (1) establish the feasibility and acceptability of delivering a brief cognitive-behavioral intervention to homeless youth via smartphone technology, (2) examine the extent to which brief cognitive-behavioral interventions delivered via mobile technology improve mental health and trauma-related psychological symptoms in homeless youth, and (3) establish smartphone usage patterns among homeless youth to inform future interventions.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* English-speaking
* Homeless as defined by lacking "a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence," (Department of Education) including youth who temporarily share the housing of others due to financial hardship
* Currently sleeping in a Chicago-based shelter (at least 50% of nights in the past week)
* Willingness and ability to comply with requirements of the study protocol

Exclusion Criteria:

* Involvement in risky behaviors that could interfere with the ability to fully engage in the study, as determined by the Principal Investigator
* Current involvement in legal proceedings
* Mental retardation or significant cognitive impairment
* Significant suicidal ideation indicated by a BDI-II item 9 score ≥ 2 or enacted suicidal behaviors within 6 months prior to eligibility
* Any concurrent psychotherapy of any duration
* Inability to understand study procedures and participate in the informed consent process

Primary outcomes:
measure: Treatment adherence
timeFrame: Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4)
measure: Treatment satisfaction
timeFrame: Treatment endpoint (week 4)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Depression symptoms
timeFrame: Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4)
measure: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms
timeFrame: Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4)
measure: Emotion Regulation
timeFrame: Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4)
measure: Anxiety symptoms
timeFrame: Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4)
measure: Risky sexual behavior and substance use
timeFrame: Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4)
measure: Acceptability of treatment components
timeFrame: Endpoint (week 4)
Other outcomes:
measure: Acceptability of mental health treatment
timeFrame: Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4)
measure: Positive and negative affect
timeFrame: Baseline (week 0) to Endpoint (week 4)
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Rush University Medical Center
name: Alyson K Zalta, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Schueller SM, Glover AC, Rufa AK, Dowdle CL, Gross GD, Karnik NS, Zalta AK. A Mobile Phone-Based Intervention to Improve Mental Health Among Homeless Young Adults: Pilot Feasibility Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2019 Jul 2;7(7):e12347. doi: 10.2196/12347.