My Life: Evaluation of Self-determination Enhancement for Adolescents in Foster Care

NCT02113085 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 5R01HD064854-02
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 186
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of the study is to implement a full-scale efficacy trial of the My Life program. Conducted in partnership with the Oregon DHS Foster Care Program, the impact of the intervention will be being evaluated with a randomized experimental longitudinal design. Two hundred and ten youth, ages 16.5-17.5, will be enrolled in 3 waves, and randomly assigned to either a comparison group that receives typical foster care services or to a treatment group that participates in the key elements of the model, including instruction in self-determination skills, support in leading their own coordinated inter-agency transition planning meetings, and participation in workshops with mentors. Outcomes, including youth self-determination, quality of life, employment, mental health, educational achievement and independent living, are assessed pre-intervention, at the conclusion of intervention, and at 12 months post-intervention. The proposed study will provide important information on the efficacy of the model for all youth exiting the foster care system, yielding unequivocal data on whether enhanced self-determination mediates, at least partially, various outcome areas, including mental health, educational achievement, employment, independent living, and quality of life; evaluating the effect of special education status, gender, and race as moderating influences on the impact of the intervention. Foster care experiences, such as trauma and placement instability, will be considered as covariates; direct effects of the intervention on these key foster care experiences will also be explored.

Conditions

Mental Disorders

Keywords

Adolescents, foster care, self-determination

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change from baseline Arc's Self Determination score at 12 and 24 months

  The Arc (Wehmeyer, 1996; Wehmeyer \& Kelchner, 1995) is a 72-item self-report measure that provides data on four components self-determination as well as providing a global overall score of self-determination.

  Baseline (enrollment), post-intervention (12 months), post-follow-along (24 months)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Change in baseline Child Behavior Checklist t-score at 12 and 24 months

  Baseline, Post-intervention, Post-follow along

Other Outcomes (1)

• Change in baseline Quality of Life Questionnaire Score at 12 and 24 months.

  baseline, post-intervention, post-follow along

Study Arms (1)

Self-determination enhancement

EXPERIMENTAL

Self-determination enhancement through one-on-one coaching and mentoring workshops

Behavioral: Self-determination enhancement

Interventions

Self-determination enhancement BEHAVIORAL

Self-determination enhancement through individual coaching and peer mentoring workshops

Self-determination enhancement

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 198 Months - 246 Months
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• between the ages 16.5 to 18.5 years of age
• reside in Multnomah, Washington or Clackamas County, Oregon
• currently in DHS foster care custody and have accumulated at least 90 days in care.

You may not qualify if:

• Youth scheduled to move from Oregon within the next year.
• Youth who represent a safety risk to project staff or other participants
• Youth who experience a profound cognitive disability or are actively psychotic

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Portland State University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Oregon DHS

Portland, Oregon, 97207, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Sarah Geenen, PhD

  Portland State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Sarah Geenen Research Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 11, 2012
• First Posted: April 14, 2014
• Study Start: February 1, 2012
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2015
• Study Completion: December 1, 2015
• Last Updated: August 26, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-08

Locations

US (1)