TYRO Couples Project Study

NCT05267236 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: #2021/03/34
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 820
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study uses an RCT design with repeated measures to test the impact of two different delivery formats for the TYRO Couples curriculum. Eligible study participants are males or females who are at least 18 years of age and within 9 months of release from incarceration. Incarcerated participants randomly assigned to the treatment group receive the TYRO Couples curriculum in-person, whereas those assigned to the comparison group experience an on-demand format. Study results that show no discernable differences in outcomes between groups will make it easier to serve more participants because service delivery formats can accommodate different life circumstances and preferences.

Conditions

Couples

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Primary Outcome Measure 1: Employment Attitudes

  What is the impact of on-demand delivery (treatment) compared to in-person delivery of the TYRO Couples curriculum (control) on employment attitudes six-months after enrollment? * 4 survey items independently measure the reported frequency of agreement with key co-parenting behaviors using categories on a 5-point scale (1 'Strongly Disagree', 2 'Disagree', 3 'Neither Agree nor Disagree', 4 'Agree', 5 'Strongly Agree'). * Higher scores on 4 items indicate better outcomes (ex. - I can overcome almost any challenge to get a decent job.) Subscales were formed to add the four survey items together and were divided by four. The subscale ranges from 1-5 (the lowest someone can score is 1, the highest someone can score is 5-which is most favorable.

  baseline to 6-month follow-up

• Primary Outcome Measure 2: Healthy Financial Attitudes

  What is the impact of on-demand delivery (treatment) compared to in-person delivery of the TYRO Couples curriculum (control) on financial attitudes six months after enrollment? * 3 survey items measure the reported agreement for key financial attitudes using categories on a 5-point employment attitudes scale (1 'Strongly Disagree', 2 'Disagree', 3 'Neither Agree Nor Disagree', 4 'Agree', 5 'Strongly Agree'). * Higher scores on 3 items are negative (ex. - I am overwhelmed when I think about my financial situation.) Subscales were formed to add the three survey items together and were divided by three. The subscale ranges from 1-5 (the lowest someone can score is 1-which is most favorable, the highest someone can score is 5.

  baseline to 6-month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Secondary Outcome Measure 1: Partner Relationship Attitudes

  baseline to immediately after program completion, up to 5 weeks

• Primary Outcome Measure 2: Relationship With Partner Behaviors

  baseline to 6-month follow-up

Study Arms (2)

Treatment-On Demand Format

EXPERIMENTAL

Treatment group participants receive TYRO Couples curriculum in an on-demand format that is delivered in five 2-hour weekly sessions for a total of 10 hours.

Other: Intervention #1: Treatment Group Receiving On-Demand TYRO Services

Control-Virtual or In-Person Format

EXPERIMENTAL

Control group participants receive TYRO Couples curriculum in a live format (virtual or in-person) that is delivered in five 2-hour weekly sessions for a total of 10 hours.

Other: Intervention #2: Control Group Receiving In-Person TYRO Services

Interventions

Intervention #1: Treatment Group Receiving On-Demand TYRO Services OTHER

Treatment group participants receive TYRO Couples curriculum in an on-demand format that is delivered in five 2-hour weekly sessions for a total of 10 hours.

Treatment-On Demand Format

Intervention #2: Control Group Receiving In-Person TYRO Services OTHER

Control group participants receive TYRO Couples curriculum in a live format (virtual or in-person) that is delivered in five 2-hour weekly sessions for a total of 10 hours.

Control-Virtual or In-Person Format

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Male or Female Adult (age 18 and older)
• Incarcerated
• Within 9 months of release in OH

You may not qualify if:

• Minor (under the age of 18)
• Not incarcerated
• Incarcerated but not within 9 months of release in OH

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Midwest Evaluation & Research: lead
• The RIDGE Project: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The RIDGE Project

McClure, Ohio, 43534, United States

Location

Related Publications (15)

• Allred, S. L., Harrison, L. D., & O'Connell, D. J. (2013). Self-Efficacy: An important aspect of prison-based learning. The Prison Journal, 93(2), 211 - 233. doi:10.1177/0032885512472964

  BACKGROUND

• Bandura A. Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychol Rev. 1977 Mar;84(2):191-215. doi: 10.1037//0033-295x.84.2.191. No abstract available.

  PMID: 847061 BACKGROUND

• Chou, S., & Liu, C. (2005). Learning effectiveness in a web-based virtual learning environment: A learner-control perspective. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 21(1), 65 - 76.

  BACKGROUND

• Cohen, J. 1988. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd Edition. Routledge.

  BACKGROUND

• Foster, H., & Hagan, J. (2009). The Mass Incarceration of Parents in America: Issues of Race/ Ethnicity, Collateral Damage to Children, and Prisoner Reentry. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 623(1), 179-194. doi:10.1177/0002716208331123

  BACKGROUND

• Frisco ML, Muller C, Frank K. Parents' Union Dissolution and Adolescents' School Performance: Comparing Methodological Approaches. J Marriage Fam. 2007 Aug 1;69(3):721-741. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00402.x.

  PMID: 20300482 BACKGROUND

• Johnson, B., Wubbenhorst, W., Schroeder, C., & Corcoran, K. E. (2014). Stronger Families, Stronger Society: An Analysis of the RIDGE Project, Inc. Baylor University. Waco, TX: Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion.

  BACKGROUND

• La Vigne, N. G., Naser, R., Brooks, L. E., & Castro, J. L. (2005, November). Examining the effect of incarceration and in-prison. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21(4), 314 - 335. doi:10.1177/1043986205281727

  BACKGROUND

• Miller, S. L., Nunnally, E. W., & Wackman, D. B. (1976). A communication training program for couples. Social Casework, 57(1), 9 - 18.

  BACKGROUND

• Manning WD. Cohabitation and Child Wellbeing. Future Child. 2015 Fall;25(2):51-66. doi: 10.1353/foc.2015.0012.

  PMID: 26929590 BACKGROUND

• Shepherd, M. (2011). A statistical Analysis of Client Data from the Keeping Families and Inmates Together in Harmony (Keeping FAITH) Program for the RIDGE Project. Emporia, KS: Midwest Evaluation and Research.

  BACKGROUND

• Siennick SE, Stewart EA, Staff J. EXPLAINING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INCARCERATION AND DIVORCE. Criminology. 2014 Aug;52(3):371-398. doi: 10.1111/1745-9125.12040.

  PMID: 25598544 BACKGROUND

• Visher, C. A., Debus-Sherrill, D., & Yahner, J. (2011). Employment after prison: A longitudinal study of former prisoners. Justice Quarterly, 28(5), 698 - 718. doi:10.1080/07418825.2010.535553

  BACKGROUND

• Western B, Braga AA, Davis J, Sirois C. Stress and Hardship after Prison. AJS. 2015 Mar;120(5):1512-47. doi: 10.1086/681301.

  PMID: 26421345 BACKGROUND

• Wildeman, C. (2014). How the criminal justice system shapes social inequality and the capacity of citizens: Parental Incarceration, child homelessness, and the invisible consequences of mass imprisonment. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 651(1), 74-296.

  BACKGROUND

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Midwest Evaluation and Research
• Organization: Midwest Evaluation and Research

mer@midwestevaluation.com

620-208-6143

Study Officials

• Matt D Shepherd, PhD

  Midwest Evaluation & Research

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

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

Model Details: Treatment vs. Control Group Standard services delivered as primary services to participants in both study groups under a shared condition are: 20 hours of TYRO Dads curricula and 6 hours of Core Communication curricula. Optional services available to both study groups by selecting 1-3 hours of coursework from menu of courses that address a variety of needs.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 23, 2022
• First Posted: March 4, 2022
• Study Start: April 11, 2023
• Primary Completion: November 30, 2024
• Study Completion: August 15, 2025
• Last Updated: September 19, 2025
• Results First Posted: August 19, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)