Testing the Effectiveness of the Full and Abridged Relationship Smarts Curriculum for 9th Grade Students

NCT02832856 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: MPR-500098-MTC
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,180
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This evaluation will test the program effectiveness of a relationship education program (Relationship Smarts PLUS)and an abridged version of the program to 9th Grade Students on outcomes of knowledge. It will test 1) whether the Relationship Smarts (RS) Curriculum is more effective than a control curriculum of job-readiness programming, and 2) whether an abridged 8-lesson version of the RS Curriculum can be as effective as the full 12-lesson version.

Conditions

Attitudes; Knowledge

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Perceived general relationship skills

  Six-item scale (range: 1 to 4)

  one year after random assignment

• Perceived conflict management skills

  Five-item scale (range: 1 to 4)

  one year after random assignment

• Disapproval of teen dating violence

  Twelve-item scale (range: 1 to 4)

  one year after random assignment

• Constraining beliefs about marriage

  Series of three separate continuous variables (range: 1 to 4)

  one year after random assignment

• Knowledge of pregnancy and STIs

  Continuous index variable: sum of correct responses to five true/false statements

  one year after random assignment

• Desire to avoid teen pregnancy

  series of three separate continuous variables (range: 1 to 4)

  one year after random assignment

Study Arms (3)

Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Control group members will receive a job readiness curriculum entitled Beginning to Work it Out (BWIO) that assists at-risk youth who are preparing for first-time employment. Topics include recognizing how personal beliefs and behaviors may be perceived in the workplace, as well as "soft skills" such as emotional self-management and problem-solving skills.

Behavioral: Job Readiness Curriculum

Full Relationship Smarts Curriculum

EXPERIMENTAL

This group receives the behavioral intervention of the healthy relationship education in the form of the full, 12-lesson RS+ curriculum over approximately 12 weeks.

Behavioral: Healthy Relationship Education

Abridged Relationship Smarts Curriculum

EXPERIMENTAL

This group receives the behavioral intervention of the healthy relationship education in the form of the "summary" 8-lesson version of the RS+ curriculum - as well as four lessons on career planning and job readiness over approximately 12 weeks.

Behavioral: Healthy Relationship Education; Behavioral: Job Readiness Curriculum

Interventions

Healthy Relationship Education BEHAVIORAL

RS+ is a widely-implemented healthy relationship education curriculum that aligns with the Georgia Department of Education performance standards in health education. The full curriculum features 12 lessons covering such topics as healthy relationships, dating violence prevention, communication skills, conflict management, and decision making.

Abridged Relationship Smarts Curriculum; Full Relationship Smarts Curriculum

Job Readiness Curriculum BEHAVIORAL

Beginning to Work it Out (BWIO) assists youth who are preparing for first-time employment. Topics include recognizing how personal beliefs and behaviors may be perceived in the workplace, as well as "soft skills" such as emotional self-management and problem-solving skills.

Abridged Relationship Smarts Curriculum; Control

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 11 Years - 16 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• high school students in 9th grade health classes
• must be enrolled in one of the targeted health classes
• permission from a parent or guardian to participate in both the program and the evaluation

You may not qualify if:

• non-students
• students in other grades of high school
• students not enrolled in health class
• students without parental permission to participate

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.: lead
• Department of Health and Human Services: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

More Than Conquerors, Inc.

Conyers, Georgia, 30094, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Behavior

Study Officials

• Brian Goesling, PhD

  Mathematica Policy Research

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 8, 2016
• First Posted: July 14, 2016
• Study Start: August 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2019
• Study Completion: August 1, 2021
• Last Updated: April 22, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Time Frame: Mid-2022
• Access Criteria: Yet to be determined.

Locations

US (1)