Improving Mental Health and School Performance in Urban Eighth Graders

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Status: Completed

Conditions: Depressive Symptoms; Trauma, Psychological; Disruptive Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: RAP Club; Behavioral: Healthy Topics

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency; NIH

Identifiers

NCT03906682

R01HD090022 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

R305A160082-17

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study assesses: (1) the impact of the Relax, Be Aware, Do a Personal Rating (RAP) Club, a school-based prevention program for urban eighth graders, on students' emotional functioning and education outcomes; (2) potential moderators and mediators of RAP Club's effects; and (3) factors related to the implementation of RAP Club, including cost of delivery and perceptions of key stakeholders.

Full description

Youth in low-income urban communities are often exposed to chronic stress and trauma, which poses risk for emotional, behavioral, and academic problems. This study will evaluate the impact of RAP Club, a trauma-informed school-based prevention program intended to promote positive emotional and academic development for eighth graders. Participants will be randomly assigned within schools to receive RAP Club or Healthy Topics, a health education active control condition.

The study will achieve the following specific aims:

1. Test whether students randomized to RAP Club have improved academic, social-emotional, and behavioral outcomes as compared to those randomized to Healthy Topics (e.g., student-reported mood and stress; teacher-rated academic performance; academic record data).
2. Explore potential moderators (e.g., baseline trauma exposure, emotional regulation) and mediators (e.g., changes in self-regulation and emotional symptoms) of RAP Club's effects.
3. Evaluate factors related to program implementation, including cost of delivering RAP Club versus Healthy Topics and perceptions of key stakeholders (teachers, group facilitators, students) regarding intervention acceptability and sustainability.

Enrollment: 615 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Subject is attending eighth grade at a participating Baltimore City Public School
• Subject is not in a self-contained special education classroom
• Subject provides written parent permission and written assent

Exclusion criteria

• Non English-speaking

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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615 participants in 2 patient groups

RAP Club program

Experimental group

Description:

RAP Club is a 12-session universal prevention program delivered twice per week over six weeks during the school day. The program is delivered by a trained facilitator and young adult community member.

Treatment:

Behavioral: RAP Club

Healthy Topics program

Active Comparator group

Description:

Like RAP Club, Healthy Topics is a 12-session program delivered twice per week over six weeks during the school day. The program is delivered by a trained facilitator and young adult community member.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Healthy Topics