Clinical trial NCT05391711: Culturally Smart Relationships Study
Official title: Evaluation of a Cultural Humility and Social Justice Training Program for Volunteer Mentors of Youth of Color
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Racism
Keywords: mentoring
prevention
Lead sponsor: University of Illinois at Chicago
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: William T. Grant Foundation
name: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
name: Herrera Consulting Group, LLC
First posted: 2022-05-26
Enrollment: 800
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 9
Maximum age (years): 17
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Participants will be randomly assigned to a cultural humility and social justice training and support intervention or to a control group for a period of one year.
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The aim of this study is to examine whether and how the provision of a cultural humility and social justice training and support program to volunteer mentors can change their interactions with youth, improve the effectiveness of programs and foster positive outcomes for low-income youth of color. Mentor-youth dyads (N=240) will be randomly assigned either to an intervention that includes cultural humility and social justice training and enhanced support or to a control group. Survey and interview data will be collected from a variety of sources, including mentors, youth, parents and case managers. Case records about mentor-youth dyads will also be collected.

Detailed description: The aim of this study is to examine whether and how the provision of a cultural humility and social justice training and support program to volunteer mentors can change their interactions with youth, improve the effectiveness of programs and foster positive outcomes for low-income youth of color. The study's specific aims are to investigate:

1. The impact of a cultural humility and social justice training and supports for BBBS mentors of youth of color on:

   1. mentor's cultural humility and social justice knowledge, attitudes and approach to their mentoring relationships,
   2. the quality of the mentor-youth relationships, and
   3. youth's developmental outcomes
2. The processes through which the intervention achieves the above effects.

The study is being conducted in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) and participants will be recruited from 7 BBBSA affiliates located in different regions of the U.S. Participants will include 240 mentor-youth dyads and their case managers and youth's parents. Youth will be low-income, youth of color between the ages of 9 and 17 years. Mentor-youth dyads will be randomly assigned either to an intervention that includes cultural humility and social justice trainings and enhanced support or to a control group (business as usual). Mentors will complete survey measures at baseline, 4 months and 12 months. Youth and case managers will complete survey measures at baseline and 12 months, while parents complete a baseline survey. Program case records will be examined as well. A subset of mentor-youth dyads (n=24) and their case managers and parents will participate in a qualitative longitudinal study. The qualitative methods will include two individual interviews of youth and mentors, a virtual dyadic interview of the mentoring dyad, interviews with parents and case managers as well as recorded supervisory contacts with mentors.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* youth is between 9 and 17 years of age
* youth is eligible for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Community-Based Mentoring (CBM) program as determined by initial assessment of program staff
* youth is a member of a racial/ethnic minority group, such as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Native Alaskan/Native Hawaiian, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern/North African or Arab American
* Parents of the above youth who are able to complete study measures in English or Spanish
* Mentors are eligible for the study if they are applying and accepted to the CBM program and are eventually matched with a youth who meet the study criteria above or currently in an existing match with a youth who meet eligibility criteria.

Exclusion Criteria:

* anyone who doesn't meet the above inclusion criteria

Primary outcomes:
measure: Cultural Humility
timeFrame: 4 months
measure: Self-efficacy beliefs for providing ethnic/racial support
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Self-efficacy beliefs for engaging in conversations about racial injustice
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Perceived Knowledge
timeFrame: 4 months
measure: Colorblind racial attitudes
timeFrame: 4 months
measure: Mentor support for ethnic/racial identity
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Mentor support for coping with discrimination
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Youth-centered relationships
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Activities and discussions on race and social justice issues - Mentor
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Activities and discussions on race and social justice issues - Youth
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Activities/discussions on racial/ethnic socialization
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Mentor Attunement Scale
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Mentor Attunement Scale - Youth Version
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Cultural clashes
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Openness to adult support
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Community connectedness
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Mattering
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Ethnic/racial identity (MIBI - T) - Private Regard
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Ethnic/racial identity (MIBI - T) - Public Regard
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Ethnic identity (exploration)
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Ethnic identity (affirmation)
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Coping efficacy with discrimination
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Cultural Mistrust
timeFrame: 12 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Bias Awareness
timeFrame: 4 months
measure: Social Justice interest
timeFrame: 4 months
measure: Authentic self
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Emotional Closeness - Mentor
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Emotional Closeness - Youth
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Relationship satisfaction - mentor
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Relationship satisfaction - youth
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Mentor advocacy
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Support seeking
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Mentoring activities
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Match duration
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Academic performance
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Risky behaviors
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Bullying
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Police & Juvenile Justice Contact
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Emotional regulation
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Depressive symptoms
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Loneliness
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Hopeful future expectations
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Critical reflection
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: System Justification Scale
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Adolescent Critical Consciousness
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Growth mindset
timeFrame: 12 months
measure: Academic self efficacy
timeFrame: 12 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Chicago
country: United States
facility: University of Illinois at Chicago
state: Illinois
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Illinois at Chicago
name: Bernadette Sanchez, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: University of Illinois at Chicago
name: David L DuBois, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Herrera Consulting Group, LLC
name: Carla Herrera, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: