Clinical trial NCT04948853: Improving Employment Outcomes for Probationers With Mental Illnesses
Official title: Improving Employment Outcomes for Probationers With Mental Illnesses
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Mental Disorders, Severe
Keywords: probation
employment
Lead sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: U.S. Department of Justice
First posted: 2021-07-02
Enrollment: 52
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 19
Maximum age (years): 99
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Randomized control trial
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: Employment is a key protective factor against recidivism; however, the lack of job opportunities keeps justice-involved mentally ill individuals, especially young adults of color, unemployed and at risk for future justice involvement. To address these issues and grow the evidence for evidence-based practices for justice-involved adults with mental illnesses, the investigators will study the implementation and outcomes of individual placement support-supported employment (IPS-SE) combined with specialty mental health probation (SMHP) for probationers with mental illnesses.

Detailed description: The large and growing number of individuals with mental illnesses who are on probation have a difficult time accessing housing, employment, and health and mental health care, which is especially concerning for young adults aged 19-25 who make up just 10% of the population but 26% of those on probation. Employment is a key protective factor against recidivism; however, the lack of job opportunities keeps justice-involved mentally ill individuals, especially young adults of color, unemployed and at risk for future justice involvement. Without access to evidence-based supported employment interventions, economic inequality and poverty among justice-involved young adults with mental illnesses will remain unchanged.

To this end, an experienced multidisciplinary team will study the implementation and outcomes of individual placement support-supported employment (IPS-SE) combined with specialty mental health probation (SMHP) for probationers with mental illnesses. The investigators' long-term goal is to develop the evidence for interventions designed to improve employment outcomes among justice-involved individuals who have mental illnesses and conduct translational research with broad application to justice-involved individuals living with mental illnesses. The investigators will pursue the following specific aims:

Aim 1: Examine the barriers and facilitators to implementing IPS-SE in a probation setting. The investigators will use qualitative methods and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in the implementation of SMHP+IPS-SE to understand how IPS-SE can be embedded successfully in a probation setting.

Aim 2: Conduct a randomized trial to examine the impact of the SMHP+IPS-SE on employment and annual income for probationers with mental illnesses. The investigators will randomly assign 120 individuals to receive SMHP + treatment as usual (TAU) or SMHP+IPS-SE. The research team will test the following hypothesis - H1: SMHP+IPS-SE recipients will be more likely to obtain and sustain employment compared to SMHP+TAU recipients.

The expected outcomes include: (1) an understanding of the implementation barriers and facilitators associated with providing IPS-SE in a probation setting; (2) an understanding of how IPS-SE needs to be adapted for probationers with mental illnesses; and (3) evidence that SMHP+IPS-SE can improve employment outcomes among justice-involved probationers with mental illnesses. This research has the potential to promote the adoption and dissemination of best practices at the interface of the mental health and criminal justice systems and promises to grow the evidence for interventions that improve employment and reduce economic inequalities among a vulnerable population.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion criteria include:

* on probation and supervised by a SMHP officer;
* aged 18-99;
* interested in obtaining employment; and
* competent to provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria:

* Does not meet inclusion criteria; and
* Unable/unwilling to provide informed consent

Primary outcomes:
measure: Employment, Time 0
timeFrame: Baseline (Time 0)
measure: Employment, Time 1
timeFrame: 3-months (Time 1)
measure: Employment, Time 2
timeFrame: 6-months (Time 2)
measure: Days worked in past 30 days, Time 0
timeFrame: Baseline (Time 0)
measure: Days worked in past 30 days, Time 1
timeFrame: 3-months (Time 1)
measure: Days worked in past 30 days, Time 2
timeFrame: 6-months (Time 2)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ)
timeFrame: Baseline (Time 0)
measure: Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ)
timeFrame: 3-months (Time 1)
measure: Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ)
timeFrame: 6-months (Time 2)
measure: Symptom Checklist (SCL-10-R)
timeFrame: Baseline (Time 0)
measure: Symptom Checklist (SCL-10-R)
timeFrame: 3-months (Time 1)
measure: Symptom Checklist (SCL-10-R)
timeFrame: 6-months (Time 2)
measure: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE)
timeFrame: Baseline (Time 0)
measure: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE)
timeFrame: 3-months (Time 1)
measure: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE)
timeFrame: 6-months (Time 2)
measure: Quality of Life (QOL)
timeFrame: Baseline (Time 0)
measure: Quality of Life (QOL)
timeFrame: 3-months (Time 1)
measure: Quality of Life (QOL)
timeFrame: 6-months (Time 2)
measure: Employment Motivation/Readiness (EMR)
timeFrame: Baseline (Time 0)
measure: Employment Motivation/Readiness (EMR)
timeFrame: 3-months (Time 1)
measure: Employment Motivation/Readiness (EMR)
timeFrame: 6-months (Time 2)
measure: Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI)
timeFrame: Baseline (Time 0)
measure: Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI)
timeFrame: 3-months (Time 1)
measure: Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI)
timeFrame: 6-months (Time 2)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Chapel Hill
country: United States
facility: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
state: North Carolina
Study officials:
affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University
name: Gary S Cuddeback, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
name: Tonya VanDeinse, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: