Clinical trial NCT00071513: Middle School to High School Transition Project: Depression and Substance Abuse Prevention
Official title: Middle School to High School Transition Project
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE1
Conditions: Depression
Substance-Related Disorders
Keywords: Adolescent
Substance Abuse
At-risk
Lead sponsor: University of Washington
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
First posted: 2003-10-28
Enrollment: 497
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 12
Maximum age (years): 15
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: This study will implement a school-based program to prevent depression, academic failure, and substance use in at-risk adolescents transitioning from middle school to high school.

Detailed description: The transition from middle school to high school presents important challenges for adolescents. Programs that enhance personal efficacy and social support resources may prevent at-risk students from developing behaviors that can lead to substance use, academic failure, and depression. This study will implement a skills-based program called Coping and Support Training for the Transition (CAST-T) as a preventive intervention for at-risk students.

At-risk students in eighth grade will be randomly assigned to receive either CAST-T or school as usual. The CAST-T program will initially be delivered in twelve sessions over 6 weeks in the middle school setting. The program includes booster sessions, case management, structured home-based parent education, and support and skills training throughout the transition period. Participants will be assessed from the beginning of eighth grade to the end of ninth grade. Vulnerability to academic problems and depression will be assessed with school records and self-report scale scores.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* At-risk for substance abuse, academic failure, and depression
* Enrolled in eighth grade in Seattle Public Schools
* English-speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

* Score above the clinical cutoff on the Youth Self Report Aggressive subscale

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ)
timeFrame: Baseline to 18 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: School Attachment
timeFrame: 18 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Seattle
country: United States
facility: University of Washington
state: Washington
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Washington
name: Elizabeth McCauley, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: University of Washington
name: Ann Vander Stoep, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Lyon AR, Ludwig KA, Stoep AV, Gudmundsen G, McCauley E. Patterns and Predictors of Mental Healthcare Utilization in Schools and other Service Sectors among Adolescents at Risk for Depression. School Ment Health. 2013 Aug 1;5(3):10.1007/s12310-012-9097-6. doi: 10.1007/s12310-012-9097-6.
citation: Banh MK, Crane PK, Rhew I, Gudmundsen G, Stoep AV, Lyon A, McCauley E. Measurement equivalence across racial/ethnic groups of the mood and feelings questionnaire for childhood depression. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2012 Apr;40(3):353-67. doi: 10.1007/s10802-011-9569-4.
citation: Rhew IC, Simpson K, Tracy M, Lymp J, McCauley E, Tsuang D, Stoep AV. Criterion validity of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire and one- and two-item depression screens in young adolescents. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2010 Feb 9;4(1):8. doi: 10.1186/1753-2000-4-8.
citation: Kuo E, Vander Stoep A, McCauley E, Kernic MA. Cost-effectiveness of a school-based emotional health screening program. J Sch Health. 2009 Jun;79(6):277-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2009.00410.x.
citation: McCormick E, Thompson K, Stoep AV, McCauley E. The Case for School-Based Depression Screening: Evidence From Established Programs. Rep Emot Behav Disord Youth. 2009 Fall;9(4):91-96.
citation: Blossom JB, Adrian MC, Stoep AV, McCauley E. Mechanisms of Change in the Prevention of Depression: An Indicated School-Based Prevention Trial at the Transition to High School. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2020 Apr;59(4):541-551. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2019.05.031. Epub 2019 Jun 20.
citation: Makover H, Adrian M, Wilks C, Read K, Stoep AV, McCauley E. Indicated Prevention for Depression at the Transition to High School: Outcomes for Depression and Anxiety. Prev Sci. 2019 May;20(4):499-509. doi: 10.1007/s11121-019-01005-5.