A Peer-Delivered High School Preparatory Intervention for Students With ADHD

NCT04571320 | Completed Results DMC

• 1 other identifier: R34MH122225
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 72
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will test whether a peer-delivered intervention for high school students with ADHD outperforms enhanced school services as usual. Ninth grade students with ADHD (N=72) will be randomly assigned to the intervention (summer STRIPES) or the enhanced school services control group (SSU plus). Students will be assessed in the spring of 8th grade, fall of ninth grade, and spring of ninth grade. Primary outcomes will be GPA, Class Attendance, and ADHD symptoms (parent and teacher report).

Conditions

ADHD

Keywords

ADHD; School-based; Peer-delivered; Adolescence

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Grade Point Average

  Report cards were obtained directly from schools. GPA for each quarter was calculated by converting academic grades (e.g., English, Math, Science, Social Studies) to a 5-point scale (i.e., 4.0=A to 0.0=F). Grades were not weighted for class difficulty.

  Change from Baseline to End of 9th grade, an average of 1 year

• Class Attendance

  Number of Class Absences per Academic Quarter

  Change from Baseline to End of 9th grade, an average of 1 year

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptom Severity

  Parent and Teacher Rated ADHD Symptoms on DSM-5 ADHD Checklist, 0=minimum, 3=maximum, Higher score means worse outcome

  Change from Baseline to End of 9th grade, an average of 1 year

Other Outcomes (24)

• Target Mechanism: Extrinsic Motivation (Measure 1)

  Change from Baseline to End of 9th grade, an average of 1 year

• Target Mechanism: Extrinsic Motivation (Measure 2)

  Change from Baseline to End of 9th grade, an average of 1 year

• Target Mechanism: Extrinsic Motivation (Measure 3)

  Change from Baseline to End of 9th grade, an average of 1 year

Study Arms (2)

Summer STRIPES

EXPERIMENTAL

Up to two weeks of daily high school orientation (four hours per day) immediately prior to the start of ninth grade, staffed by peer interventionists (2:1 ratio + extra interventionist in case of absences) and a school staff member. Two sessions of summer parent training. During the school year, ninth grade students will continue to meet weekly with their peer interventionists in a group setting under the supervision of the school staff sponsor. School year follow-up component of summer STRIPES will occur for 16 weeks and will include weekly 30 minute meetings between peer and target students. Parent components during the school year will include optional monthly group problem solving sessions with the school staff sponsor and school mental health liaison and a weekly phone call (up to five minutes) from the school staff sponsor to discuss home contingency management.

Behavioral: Summer STRIPES

Enhanced School Services as Usual

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Students who are assigned to the SSU plus group will be referred to their identified school counselor for referral to services available in the school setting. The counselor will be provided with a report from the student's intake assessment that summarizes the student's symptoms and presenting problems. The student will also receive new school supplies at the beginning of ninth grade. In our past trials, SSU plus students typically received subject-specific tutoring or after-school homework help. We will systematically track services received by students in the SSU plus condition.

Other: Enhanced School Services as Usual

Interventions

Summer STRIPES BEHAVIORAL

See arm description.

Summer STRIPES

Enhanced School Services as Usual OTHER

see arm description.

Also known as: SSU plus

Enhanced School Services as Usual

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 16 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Meet Symptom and Impairment Criteria for DSM-5 ADHD
• Attending ninth grade at a participating school

You may not qualify if:

• Placement in special education classes
• IQ \< 70

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Washington: collaborator
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): collaborator
• Seattle Children's Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute

Seattle, Washington, 98101, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Zulauf-McCurdy CA, Coxe SJ, Lyon AR, Aaronson B, Ortiz M, Sibley MH. Study protocol of a randomised trial of Summer STRIPES: a peer-delivered high school preparatory intervention for students with ADHD. BMJ Open. 2021 Aug 3;11(8):e045443. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045443.

  PMID: 34344674 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Limitations and Caveats

A limitation of this study is its moderate sample size (N=72), which prevented detection of smaller effects. We did not impose Type I error corrections because this initial phase of intervention testing prioritizes hypothesis and theoretical model building prior to a future large-scale clinical trial. This study was conducted in the post-COVID-19 school environment (2022-2024) and most parents were highly educated (over 80% had at least one parent with a bachelors degree).

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Margaret Sibley
• Organization: Seattle Children's Research Institute

margaret.sibley@seattlechildrens.org

(206) 884-1424

Study Officials

• Margarret Sibley, Ph.D.

  Seattle Children's Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Teachers and outcomes assessors will be masked to group; however, it will not be possible to mask parents and adolescents to group because they will be actively receiving a behavioral intervention.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health

Model Details: Only adolescents are randomly assigned to group. parents/teachers were not considered enrolled, and their involvement was limited to providing ratings and/or optional attendance as part of the treatment

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 31, 2020
• First Posted: October 1, 2020
• Study Start: June 3, 2022
• Primary Completion: August 31, 2024
• Study Completion: August 31, 2024
• Last Updated: March 5, 2026
• Results First Posted: March 5, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Locations

US (1)