Clinical trial NCT05267236: TYRO Couples Project Study
Official title: Impact Evaluation of the TYRO Couples Project
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Couples
Lead sponsor: Midwest Evaluation & Research
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: The RIDGE Project
First posted: 2022-03-04
Enrollment: 1658
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Treatment vs. Control Group Standard services delivered as primary services to participants in both study groups under a shared condition are: 20 hours of TYRO Dads curricula and 6 hours of Core Communication curricula. Optional services available to both study groups by selecting 1-3 hours of coursework from menu of courses that address a variety of needs.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study uses an RCT design with repeated measures to test the impact of two different delivery formats for the TYRO Couples curriculum. Eligible study participants are males or females who are at least 18 years of age and within 9 months of release from incarceration. Incarcerated participants randomly assigned to the treatment group receive the TYRO Couples curriculum in-person, whereas those assigned to the comparison group experience an on-demand format. Study results that show no discernable differences in outcomes between groups will make it easier to serve more participants because service delivery formats can accommodate different life circumstances and preferences.

Detailed description: The TYRO Couples curriculum Is based upon the Couples Communication curriculum, and was developed by a Christian, non-profit organization in Ohio called The RIDGE Project. The purpose of TYRO Couples is to provide training and opportunities for participants from families affected by the incarceration of a father to practice healthy relationship skills that build a foundation for healthy and successful marriages and lifelong partnerships. Curriculum components also address healthy financial and employment skills. Previous research suggests the TYRO Couples curriculum is efficacious in increasing skills related to: relationship building, couples communication, conflict resolution, and relationship satisfaction.

Typically, TYRO Couples is delivered in-person in a classroom setting. Using an in-person format results in a more personal, organic experience for participants but it requires a commitment that is difficult for some of them are unable to make because of the time and effort that is necessary to meet in a specific place for a predetermined amount of time. On-line access does not offer the same experience as in-person service delivery, but it does offer greater accessibility for participants to learn at their own pace in a self-directed learning environment of their own choosing. In theory, both formats offer program participants different types of access to service delivery and it is not clear if there is a disparate impact on the educational outcomes that define program benefits, which are improved attitudes, expectations and behaviors that promote healthy family relationships and economic stability for their households.

Testing the delivery format of TYRO Couples is important for several reasons. First, more research is needed to better understand which prison-based learning methods are more effective on marriage/intimate partner relationship and economic stability outcomes. Although there are some previous studies of best practices for prison-based learning, there are no studies, to our knowledge, that examine the effectiveness of on-demand learning on relationship and economic outcomes among couples affected by incarceration. Second, previous studies suggest that on-demand learning can be a helpful tool that empowers learners to digest the course material at their own pace. Learner control is a theory that derives from several motivational theory underpinnings, which includes attribution theory, motivation theory, and information processing theory. Previous research guided by learner control theory suggests that self-guided, on-demand learning is positively related to greater learner satisfaction and higher levels of learning compared with those who did not use this format.

Therefore, it is important that effective, prison-based learning methods are identified and used so that program participants can experience the most robust relationships and economic stability outcomes. Informed by the self-efficacy and learner control theory, the purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which TYRO Couples training delivered in an on-demand format has a disparate impact compared to in-person services on marriage/intimate partner relationships and economic stability outcomes among couples facing incarceration.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Male or Female Adult (age 18 and older)
* Incarcerated
* Within 9 months of release in OH

Exclusion Criteria:

* Minor (under the age of 18)
* Not incarcerated
* Incarcerated but not within 9 months of release in OH

Primary outcomes:
measure: Primary Outcome Measure 1: employment attitudes
timeFrame: change from baseline to 6-month follow-up
measure: Primary Outcome Measure 2: healthy financial attitudes
timeFrame: change from baseline in behavior to 6-month follow-up
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Secondary Outcome Measure 1: partner relationship attitudes
timeFrame: change from baseline to immediately after program completion
measure: Primary Outcome Measure 2: partner relationship behavior
timeFrame: change from baseline to 6-month follow-up
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: McClure
country: United States
facility: The RIDGE Project
state: Ohio
Study officials:
affiliation: Midwest Evaluation & Research
name: Matt D Shepherd, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
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