Clinical trial NCT06631274: Intervention for Victimized Youth
Official title: IVY: Intervention for Victimized Youth
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Victimization
Keywords: peer victimization
bullying
trauma
Lead sponsor: Florida State University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
First posted: 2024-10-08
Enrollment: 44
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 11
Maximum age (years): 14
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Intervention model description: We are using a waitlist control model where half of the participants will be randomly assigned to the treatment condition. When that intervention is completed, the treatment will be offered to the waitlist participants.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: IVY (Intervention for Victimized Youth). Just as ivy plants are strong and can flourish in difficult environments, the goal of IVY will be for targets of peer victimization to thrive academically and socially despite challenging circumstances.

Detailed description: The project involves the development of a virtual intervention program for targets of peer victimization. Intervention for Victimized Youth (IVY) will improve upon many limitations of existing interventions described above since it is the first intervention program to specifically address the needs of targets of peer victimization from a trauma perspective. Moreover, it addresses key limitations of CBITS and increases the flexibility of the intervention by using a virtual delivery model. Just as ivy plants are strong and can flourish in difficult environments, the goal of IVY is for victimized youth to thrive academically and socially despite challenging circumstances. IVY uses a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to address current distress due to peer victimization and teach strategies for handling any future peer victimization. Common elements of effective CBT-based trauma treatments are psychoeducation, emotion regulation skills, imaginal or in vivo exposure, cognitive processing, and/or problem solving. Several methods are used within sessions to teach the content, including psychoeducation, didactic teaching, modeling, role playing, and guided self-reflection.

The proposed 8-week intervention. The focus of the first 4 sessions will be on teaching skills to help students overcome emotional difficulties associated with being victimized. Weekly topics include: 1) Introduction \& Psychoeducation, 2) Emotional Regulation Skill Building and Practice, 3) Identifying \& Coping with Difficult Thoughts and Emotions, and 4) Connecting Thoughts, Emotions, and Behaviors. The last 4 sessions are specific to peer victimization issues with a focus on avoiding re-victimization since victimized youth often are victimized repeatedly and report that they defend other victims. Weekly topics include: 5) Options for Protecting Yourself, 6) Social Problem-Solving Skills, 7) Adaptive Thinking, and 8) Future Planning \& Celebration. Participants will be taught several options for intervening. A decision-making process for evaluating social situations will be taught. Based on the outcome of that decision-making process, participants will be taught options for responding with the goal of avoiding re-victimized.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* current middle school student in US (defined as grades 6, 7, or 8)
* experience at least one instance of peer victimization in past month
* Have elevated or extremely elevated social-emotional distress score, as measured by the BESS (Behavior and Emotional Screening System)

Exclusion Criteria:

* not current middle school student
* not experience victimization in past month
* no elevated score on BESS

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Social-emotional Distress
timeFrame: Visit 1 (baseline); Visit 8 (8 weeks after baseline at the termination visit)
measure: Change in Knowledge of Self-protection Skills
timeFrame: Visit 1 (baseline); Visit 8 (8 weeks after baseline at the termination visit)
measure: Change in Self-efficacy for Protecting Self
timeFrame: Visit 1 (baseline); Visit 8 (8 weeks after baseline at the termination visit)
measure: change in Knowledge of Coping Skills
timeFrame: Visit 1 (baseline); Visit 8 (8 weeks after baseline at the termination visit)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: change in peer victimization
timeFrame: Visit 1 (baseline); Visit 8 (8 weeks after baseline at the termination visit)
measure: change in cyber victimization
timeFrame: Visit 1 (baseline); Visit 8 (8 weeks after baseline at the termination visit)
measure: change in Traumatic Stress Symptoms
timeFrame: Visit 1 (baseline); Visit 8 (8 weeks after baseline at the termination visit)
measure: change in Social Support
timeFrame: Visit 1 (baseline); Visit 8 (8 weeks after baseline at the termination visit)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Tallahassee
country: United States
facility: Florida State University Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
state: Florida
city: Tallahassee
country: United States
facility: Florida State University
state: Florida
Study officials:
References: