Steppin' Up: Positive Youth Development Program

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00341224
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: June 21, 2006
• Last Update Posted: July 2, 2017
• Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• Information provided by: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)

Tracking Information

• First Submitted Date: June 19, 2006
• First Posted Date: June 21, 2006
• Last Update Posted Date: July 2, 2017
• Study Start Date: July 23, 2003
• Actual Primary Completion Date: December 9, 2009 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
• Current Primary Outcome Measures (submitted: February 12, 2009): Student fighting [ Time Frame: Immediate poste test, 12-month follow-up ]
• Original Primary Outcome Measures (submitted: June 19, 2006): Academic engagement, affiliation with prosocial friends, and restraing/non-agression.
• Current Secondary Outcome Measures (submitted: July 18, 2008): Academic engagement [ Time Frame: Immediate post test, 12-month follow-up ]
• Original Secondary Outcome Measures: Not Provided
• Current Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures: Not Provided
• Original Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures: Not Provided

Descriptive Information

• Brief Title: Steppin' Up: Positive Youth Development Program
• Official Title: Steppin' Up: Positive Youth Development Program

Brief Summary

As an antidote to juvenile aggression and violence, which has increased in recent years, group mentoring offers a viable alternative to intensive one-on-one mentoring. However, no group-mentoring programs have been evaluated.

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of a school-based, group-mentoring intervention designed to prevent aggressive and deviant behavior among early adolescents.

Study participants will be incoming 6th grade students from two inner-city Baltimore middle schools and their parents. Approximately 1,400 students and their parents are expected to participate. All 6th grade students in these schools are eligible for the study.

Weekly student group-mentoring sessions are the principal component of this study. These groups will be held during the school day and will be designed to increase social skills and encourage academic engagement, restraint, and problem-solving. A master's level professional will direct and conduct these intervention activities, which will employ the use of field trips, cooperative games, discussion of real-life situations, and role playing.

Students will also complete a 1-hour written survey each fall and spring from grades 6-8 about the program and about attitudes and behaviors related to school involvement and staying healthy and safe. Study staff will contact participants' teachers and review their past and current school records, including attendance, grades, and disciplinary information.

Parents may be asked to participate in group meetings and will complete in-person or telephone interviews (about 20 minutes each) about similar information over a 3-year period (6th grade to 8th grade).

• Detailed Description: Group mentoring offers a potentially viable alternative to intensive one-on-one mentoring. However, no group mentoring programs have been evaluated. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of a school-based, group-mentoring intervention designed to prevent aggressive and deviant behavior among early adolescents. Two successive cohorts of incoming 6th grade students from two inner-city Baltimore middle schools and their parents will be randomized to comparison group or intervention group consisting of weekly group-mentoring sessions for youth and persuasive communication and small-group media-development projects for parents.
• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Phase: Phase 2
• Study Design: Allocation: Randomized; Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment; Masking: None (Open Label); Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Condition: Mentoring

Intervention

Behavioral: Group-mentoring intervention

Group mentoring used to teach social skills to middle school students

• Study Arms: Not Provided

Publications *

• Bailey SL, Flewelling RL, Rosenbaum DP. Characteristics of students who bring weapons to school. J Adolesc Health. 1997 Apr;20(4):261-70. doi: 10.1016/S1054-139X(96)00283-2.
• DuRant RH, Krowchuk DP, Kreiter S, Sinal SH, Woods CR. Weapon carrying on school property among middle school students. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999 Jan;153(1):21-6. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.153.1.21.
• Ellickson PL, McGuigan KA. Early predictors of adolescent violence. Am J Public Health. 2000 Apr;90(4):566-72. doi: 10.2105/ajph.90.4.566.

Recruitment Information

• Recruitment Status: Completed
• Enrollment: Not Provided
• Original Enrollment (submitted: June 19, 2006): 1120
• Actual Study Completion Date: December 9, 2009
• Actual Primary Completion Date: December 9, 2009 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

Eligibility Criteria

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:

The population of interest for the randomized trial is 6th-grade students and their parents in two participating Baltimore middle schools. Participating schools are urban, inner-city schools located in neighborhoods with low SES and high rates of unemployment and crime.

Sex/Gender

• Sexes Eligible for Study: All

• Ages: 12 Years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Contacts: Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
• Listed Location Countries: United States

Administrative Information

• NCT Number: NCT00341224
• Other Study ID Numbers: 999903261; 03-CH-N261
• Has Data Monitoring Committee: Not Provided
• U.S. FDA-regulated Product: Not Provided
• IPD Sharing Statement: Not Provided
• Current Responsible Party: Not Provided
• Original Responsible Party: Same as current
• Current Study Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• Original Study Sponsor: Same as current
• Collaborators: Not Provided
• Investigators: Not Provided
• PRS Account: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
• Verification Date: December 9, 2009