Leveraging Evidence to Activate Parents

NCT04779229 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: R01DA050669
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 141
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The juvenile justice (JJ) system serves over a million cases every year and represents the primary referral source for treatment of substance use and antisocial behavior in youth. However, engagement of the JJ population in treatment is alarmingly low; further, rural communities have neither access to evidence-based practices (EBPs) nor the finances and treatment infrastructure to support their delivery. However, using an innovation called task-shifting, juvenile probation/parole officers in rural communities might be able to deliver a central change mechanism for EBPs (parent activation), with the ultimate goal of improving JJ youth outcomes.

Conditions

Substance Use

Keywords

Substance Use; Delinquency; Parents; Adolescents

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Changes from Baseline scores compared to 36 months post-Baseline on fidelity to Parent Activation (measured at Baseline, End of Usual Services phase, every 3 months for 9 months, and then every 6 months until 36 months post-Baseline).

  Fidelity to Parent Activation techniques by JPOs as measured using Standardized Patient Assessments (Observational coding of video recordings with trained actors).

  Baseline to 36 months

• Changes in number and severity of criminal charges in de-identified youth records from Baseline compared with 36 months post-Baseline.

  The number and severity of criminal charges measured by de-identified archival arrest records obtained from Idaho and Oregon state justice databases.

  Baseline to 36 months

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Changes from Baseline in attitudes towards Evidence-Based practices compared to 36 months post-Baseline (measured at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months).

  Baseline to 36 months

• Changes from Baseline in perceived burnout compared to 36 months post-Baseline (measured at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months).

  Baseline to 36 months

• Changes from Baseline in perceived agency support of evidence-based practices implementation compared to 36 months post-Baseline (measured at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months).

  Baseline to 36 months

• Changes from Baseline in perceived processes and outcomes between JPOs and the researchers compared to 36 months post-Baseline (measured at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months).

  Baseline to 36 months

• Changes from Baseline in de-identified family outcomes (parent attendance and the number of positive youth drug screens) compared to 36 months post-Baseline (measured biweekly for 36 months).

  Baseline to 36 months

Study Arms (2)

Parent Activation

EXPERIMENTAL

This group of JPOs will deliver Parent Activation as a service to the juveniles and families on their caseloads.

Behavioral: Parent Activation

Usual Services

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

This group of JPOs will deliver services as usual to the juveniles and families on their caseloads.

Behavioral: Usual Services

Interventions

Parent Activation BEHAVIORAL

Parent Activation (PA) is comprised of concrete social learning theory steps (i.e., direct instruction, modeling, practice opportunities, and reinforcement) that aim to enhance a parent's confidence, knowledge, and ability to manage his/her child's health. PA is applicable across a range of conditions, including behavioral and psychiatric problems, and it can be delivered by varied providers, including paraprofessionals.

Parent Activation

Usual Services BEHAVIORAL

This intervention refers to the typical techniques that JPOs employ to monitor the juveniles on their caseloads (e.g., regular meetings with youth and parents to ensure the youth is following conditions of probation and issuing swift sanctions \[community service; detention\] if conditions are not being followed).

Usual Services

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 80 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Any juvenile probation/parole officer working in a participating county in Idaho or Oregon who consents to participate.

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Oregon Social Learning Center: lead

Study Sites (1)

Oregon Social Learning Center

Eugene, Oregon, 97401, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Substance-Related Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Michael McCart, Ph.D.

  Oregon Social Learning Center

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: SEQUENTIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Senior Research Scientist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 26, 2021
• First Posted: March 3, 2021
• Study Start: March 1, 2021
• Primary Completion: March 30, 2025
• Study Completion: March 30, 2025
• Last Updated: July 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)