Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength (FEELS)

Rutgers The State University of New Jersey

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Substance Use; Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT07378254

1K01MH131797-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Pro2023000454

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will build a partnership with a Community Advisory Board to co-produce, and then pilot test, a theory-guided mental health literacy intervention focused on trauma and substance use. Participants will take part in educational group sessions for 12 weeks and complete assessments at baseline and two follow-up time points (mid-intervention and post-intervention). Intervention participants will be randomly invited to post-study focus groups to gather feedback on their experiences in the program.

Full description

This study will enhance mental health literacy (i.e., knowledge and beliefs related to mental health, including recognition, prevention, and management of symptoms) among a sample of young Black adults who have experienced lifetime trauma. The culturally tailored intervention will be guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior and social ecological model as guiding frameworks. Intervention components will be designed to promote behavioral, normative, and control beliefs related to mental health care utilization, with resources to target individual, interpersonal, organizational, and community levels of influence. Following development, the intervention will be piloted among young Black adults, utilizing a single-arm pilot design.

Enrollment: 80 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 35 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Self-identify as Black or African American
2. Be between the ages of 18 and 35 years old
3. Endorse previous lifetime trauma exposure
4. Participants must speak English
5. Participants are capable of giving informed consent and capable of complying with study procedures.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

80 participants in 1 patient group

FEELS

Experimental group

Description:

Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength

Treatment:

Behavioral: Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength