Clinical trial NCT05293145: AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Program Evaluation
Official title: AVANCE-Houston Building Futures Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Program Evaluation
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Youth
Lead sponsor: Midwest Evaluation & Research
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Avance Clinical Pty Ltd.
First posted: 2022-03-24
Enrollment: 718
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 14
Maximum age (years): 18
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Intervention model description: Primary Services Participants receive 14 hours of Survival Skills for Healthy Families curricula delivered over a series of 7 weekly workshops, or 16 hours of Survival Skills for Healthy Families curricula delivered over one weekend followed by 2 hours of a Reflections Workshop delivered two weeks later. Participants also receive support services delivered by Family Coaches and Career Coaches as needed.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: AVANCE seeks to understand if participation in the AVANCE-Houston Building Futures (A-HBF) program is associated with improved outcomes among the target population of at-risk, homeless, and incarcerated youth. Additionally, the evaluation will examine how and why participant-level characteristics such as relationship status, life status, and demographics are associated with greater or lesser benefit from A-HBF program participation. This research will provide insights about the Survival Skills for Healthy Families curriculum and its effectiveness for the target population that can be used in the development of future programming efforts.

Detailed description: Trauma-informed services are needed to improve self-sufficiency, economic stability, and healthy relationships among at-risk, homeless, and incarcerated youth in Harris County, especially those living in areas with high numbers of single-family households, high poverty rates, low educational attainment, high teen pregnancy rates, high incidence of domestic violence, and high involvement with the (juvenile) justice system. AVANCE-Houston's Building Futures program (A-HBF) aims to facilitate successful transitions to adulthood for cohorts of at-risk and homeless youth by offering healthy relationship and marriage education through the Survival Skills for Healthy Families (SSHF) curriculum.

Developed by Family Wellness Associates, SSHF is an evidence-based curriculum delivered through a series of workshops that focus on communication skills, conflict resolution, knowledge of the benefits of marriage, stress and anger management, parenting skills, financial literacy, job and career advancement, and relationship skills to improve family and economic stability. AVANCE will offer the curriculum via weekly workshops for youth that take place in targeted high-need areas.

AVANCE seeks to understand if participation in the A-HBF program is associated with improved outcomes among the target population of at-risk and homeless youth. Additionally, the evaluation will examine how and why participant-level characteristics such as relationship status, life status, and demographics are associated with greater or lesser benefit from A-HBF program participation. This research will provide insights about the SSHF curriculum and its effectiveness for the target population that can be used in the development of future programming efforts.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Youth (aged 14-18)
* High-needs school districts enrolled in grades 9-12
* Residing in juvenile detention center

Exclusion Criteria:

* Adult (age 18 and older)
* Youth (age 14 and younger)
* Not enrolled in school (non-incarcerated youth)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Healthy partner relationship behavior measurement #1
timeFrame: Change from baseline in partner relationship behavior from enrollment to 12-month follow-up
measure: Healthy partner relationship behavior measurement #2
timeFrame: Change from baseline in partner relationship behavior from enrollment to 12-month follow-up
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Healthy partner relationship attitudes measurement #1
timeFrame: Change from baseline in partner relationship attitudes to immediately after program completion
measure: Healthy partner relationship attitudes measurement #2
timeFrame: Change from baseline in partner relationship attitudes to immediately after program completion
measure: Healthy sexual attitudes measurement #1
timeFrame: Change from baseline in sexual attitudes from enrollment to immediately after program completion
measure: Healthy financial attitudes measurement #1
timeFrame: Change from baseline in financial attitudes from enrollment to 12-month follow-up
measure: Healthy employment attitudes measurement #1
timeFrame: Change from baseline in employment attitudes to immediately after program completion
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Houston
country: United States
facility: AVANCE-Houston
state: Texas
Study officials:
affiliation: Midwest Evaluation & Research
name: Matt D Shepherd, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: