An Emotion Regulation Intervention for Early Adolescent Risk Prevention
| Status: | Recruiting |
|---|---|
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 12 - 14 |
| Updated: | 2/23/2019 |
| Start Date: | February 19, 2019 |
| End Date: | September 2019 |
| Contact: | Brittany M Wickham, BA |
| Email: | brittany.wickham@lifespan.org |
| Phone: | 401-793-8934 |
An Emotion Regulation Intervention for Early Adolescent Risk Behavior Prevention
This study will take a group-based intervention for adolescents that reduced sexual risk
behavior and create a computer-based version, which is a format that adolescents like and
that is more cost-effective. The intervention focuses on teaching adolescents skills for
managing their emotions when they are making decisions that could put them at risk (like
whether to have sex or drink alcohol). The investigators are hoping to learn whether a
computer version of the program will be useful in helping adolescents learn about emotional
competence and reducing risky behaviors. The investigators will make a version of the
intervention as games on tablet computers in a partnership with a technology company, Klein
Buendel. The research team will begin by getting advice from adolescents and experts (in
separate groups) about how to convey the ideas from the group program into computer games.
Klein Buendel will then create the games. Then, about 10 adolescents will be asked to try out
the program and give us feedback about things to change. Klein Buendel will make those
changes. Then the investigators will ask about 100 adolescents to volunteer to be randomly
placed in one of two groups. One group will do the computer program right away; the other
will wait for three months. Both groups will be asked to answer questions and do computer
tasks when the team meets them, one month later, and three months later. The investigators
will compare the groups to see if the group that received the computer intervention reports
being more emotionally competent than the group that has not yet done the computer
intervention. The research team will also ask them about their risk behaviors. If this is
useful, it may be a good way to enhance health education taught in schools.
behavior and create a computer-based version, which is a format that adolescents like and
that is more cost-effective. The intervention focuses on teaching adolescents skills for
managing their emotions when they are making decisions that could put them at risk (like
whether to have sex or drink alcohol). The investigators are hoping to learn whether a
computer version of the program will be useful in helping adolescents learn about emotional
competence and reducing risky behaviors. The investigators will make a version of the
intervention as games on tablet computers in a partnership with a technology company, Klein
Buendel. The research team will begin by getting advice from adolescents and experts (in
separate groups) about how to convey the ideas from the group program into computer games.
Klein Buendel will then create the games. Then, about 10 adolescents will be asked to try out
the program and give us feedback about things to change. Klein Buendel will make those
changes. Then the investigators will ask about 100 adolescents to volunteer to be randomly
placed in one of two groups. One group will do the computer program right away; the other
will wait for three months. Both groups will be asked to answer questions and do computer
tasks when the team meets them, one month later, and three months later. The investigators
will compare the groups to see if the group that received the computer intervention reports
being more emotionally competent than the group that has not yet done the computer
intervention. The research team will also ask them about their risk behaviors. If this is
useful, it may be a good way to enhance health education taught in schools.
Emotion regulation in adolescence is associated with health risk behaviors, including sex and
substance use, and early onset of these behaviors represents a risk factor for negative
health outcomes throughout life. Thus, interventions appropriate for early adolescence, when
these behaviors commonly begin, are critical for prevention efforts. The research team has
developed and tested a novel, engaging, and efficacious intervention that addresses emotion
regulation, a theoretically important and under-researched factor associated with risk. The
efficacy trial of this intervention, Project TRAC, showed that an intervention strategy using
emotion regulation was significantly more successful than an active comparison condition on
the primary target, delaying onset of sexual activity over a two and a half year follow-up,
as well as on other risk behaviors, such as condom use, fighting, and partner violence. While
efficacious, the current face-to-face, small group format of the program is a difficult model
to sustain and implement on a larger scale. With a long-term goal toward dissemination, this
two-year project will translate the emotion regulation components of this successful program
for tablet-based delivery to enable it to reach a large audience in a format that can be
related to a variety of health behavior education topics (e.g., sexual health, violence,
substance use). For the proposed project, the Rhode Island Hospital/ Brown University
research team will collaborate with Klein Buendel, a health communications technology
company, to translate the emotion regulation content of Project TRAC for tablet computers.
This translation, using well-established theoretical frameworks, will be approached in
consultation with members of the target population (early adolescents) and experts in the
field. After the intervention has been translated to a tablet form, ten adolescents will test
the program to assess acceptability and usability. Finally, a small pilot study (n=100) will
assess feasibility of the translated intervention and compare it to a waitlist control group.
substance use, and early onset of these behaviors represents a risk factor for negative
health outcomes throughout life. Thus, interventions appropriate for early adolescence, when
these behaviors commonly begin, are critical for prevention efforts. The research team has
developed and tested a novel, engaging, and efficacious intervention that addresses emotion
regulation, a theoretically important and under-researched factor associated with risk. The
efficacy trial of this intervention, Project TRAC, showed that an intervention strategy using
emotion regulation was significantly more successful than an active comparison condition on
the primary target, delaying onset of sexual activity over a two and a half year follow-up,
as well as on other risk behaviors, such as condom use, fighting, and partner violence. While
efficacious, the current face-to-face, small group format of the program is a difficult model
to sustain and implement on a larger scale. With a long-term goal toward dissemination, this
two-year project will translate the emotion regulation components of this successful program
for tablet-based delivery to enable it to reach a large audience in a format that can be
related to a variety of health behavior education topics (e.g., sexual health, violence,
substance use). For the proposed project, the Rhode Island Hospital/ Brown University
research team will collaborate with Klein Buendel, a health communications technology
company, to translate the emotion regulation content of Project TRAC for tablet computers.
This translation, using well-established theoretical frameworks, will be approached in
consultation with members of the target population (early adolescents) and experts in the
field. After the intervention has been translated to a tablet form, ten adolescents will test
the program to assess acceptability and usability. Finally, a small pilot study (n=100) will
assess feasibility of the translated intervention and compare it to a waitlist control group.
Inclusion Criteria:
- attending the seventh grade at a participating school
- being between the ages of 12 and 14
Exclusion Criteria:
- those who cannot read English at a 4th grade level
- those with developmental delays
We found this trial at
1
site
1 Hoppin Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Principal Investigator: Christopher Houck, PhD
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