Culturally Smart Relationships Study

NCT05391711 | Active Not Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 2021-0495190902
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 800
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to examine whether and how the provision of a cultural humility and social justice training and support program to volunteer mentors can change their interactions with youth, improve the effectiveness of programs and foster positive outcomes for low-income youth of color. Mentor-youth dyads (N=240) will be randomly assigned either to an intervention that includes cultural humility and social justice training and enhanced support or to a control group. Survey and interview data will be collected from a variety of sources, including mentors, youth, parents and case managers. Case records about mentor-youth dyads will also be collected.

Conditions

Racism

Keywords

mentoring; prevention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (23)

• Cultural Humility

  Mentor report - Empathic Feeling and Expression Subscale from Ethnocultural Empathy Scale (Wang et al., 2003) - 15 items - mean scores range from 1 to 6; 2 reversed scores items; higher scores reflect higher empathic feeling and expression

  4 months

• Self-efficacy beliefs for providing ethnic/racial support

  Mentor report - 6-item scale (Anderson et al., 2018) - mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores reflect higher self-efficacy

  12 months

• Self-efficacy beliefs for engaging in conversations about racial injustice

  Mentor report - 4-item scale created for this study (Sánchez et al., 2021) - mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores reflect higher self-efficacy

  12 months

• Perceived Knowledge

  Mentor report - Adapted measure of Multicultural awareness, knowledge and skills scale (D'Andrea et al., 2003) - 13 items. Items were added and adapted to reflect the current intervention. Mean scores range from 1 to 4. Higher scores reflect higher perceived knowledge.

  4 months

• Colorblind racial attitudes

  Mentor report - Unawareness of Racial Privilege subscale of the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS; Neville et al., 2000) - 7 items - Mean scores range from 1 to 6; 6 items are reverse scored; higher scores reflect more unawareness of racial privilege

  4 months

• Mentor support for ethnic/racial identity

  Youth reported scale (Sanchez et al., 2018) - adapted for the current study and added 5 items for a total of 11 items - 1 reversed scored item; Mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores indicate more support from mentors on youth's ethnic/racial identity.

  12 months

• Mentor support for coping with discrimination

  Youth-reported 8-item scale created for this study (Sanchez, Herrera, DuBois, \& Anderson, 2021); 3 reversed scored items; mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores indicate more support from mentors on youth's coping with discrimination.

  12 months

• Youth-centered relationships

  Youth reported - Youth Centered Relationships Subscale of Youth Survey - 5 items. Youth-reported scale; mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores indicate a more youth-centric mentoring relationship.

  12 months

• Activities and discussions on race and social justice issues - Mentor

  Mentor reported - 11-item scale created for this study (Sanchez, Herrera, DuBois, \& Anderson, 2021). Mean scores range from 0 to 3; Higher scores indicate more frequent engagement in activities and discussions about race and social justice.

  12 months

• Activities and discussions on race and social justice issues - Youth

  Youth reported - 11-item scale created for this study (Sanchez, Herrera, DuBois, \& Anderson, 2021). Mean scores range from 0 to 3; higher scores indicate more frequent engagement in activities and discussions about race and social justice.

  12 months

• Activities/discussions on racial/ethnic socialization

  mentor reported - 6-item scale created for this study (Sanchez, Herrera, DuBois, \& Anderson, 2021). Mean scores range between 0 and 3. Higher scores reflect more frequent racial/ethnic socialization activities and discussions.

  12 months

• Mentor Attunement Scale

  Mentor reported scale - 7 item scale(Pryce \& Deane, 2019). Mean scores range between 1 and 6. Higher scores reflect higher mentor attunement.

  12 months

• Mentor Attunement Scale - Youth Version

  Youth reported scale - MAS-Y; Pryce \& Deane, 2019; 15 items. Mean scores range from 1 to 6; higher scores indicate higher mentor attunement.

  12 months

• Cultural clashes

  Mentor Reported Challenges Scale - 3 items (Herrera et al., 2014); mean scores range between 1 and 4; higher scores reflect more cultural clashes in the relationship.

  12 months

• Openness to adult support

  Youth reported - Interpersonal Trust Scale (DuBois, 2006) - 5 items. modified some items and response scale for this study; 1 reversed scored item; mean scores range between 1 and 4; higher scores reflect more trust towards adults.

  12 months

• Community connectedness

  Youth reported measure; Whitlock, 2007; 5 items; modified the response scale for this study; 1 reversed scored item; mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores reflect higher community connectedness.

  12 months

• Mattering

  Youth reported measure; Sense of Mattering Scale (Rosenberg, 1981) - 5 items - modified items and response scale for this study; mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores reflect higher perceptions that youth matters to adults outside their family.

  12 months

• Ethnic/racial identity (MIBI - T) - Private Regard

  youth reported - Private Regard Subscale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity- Teen (MIBI-T) - 3 items (Scottham, Sellers, \& Nguyen, 2008; Rivas-Drake, Hughes, \& Way, 2009); mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores reflect more positive perceptions about one's ethnic/racial group.

  12 months

• Ethnic/racial identity (MIBI - T) - Public Regard

  youth reported - o Public Regard Subscale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity- Teen (MIBI-T) - 3 items (Scottham, Sellers, \& Nguyen, 2008; Rivas-Drake, Hughes, \& Way, 2009); mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores reflect more positive societal perceptions about one's ethnic/racial group.

  12 months

• Ethnic identity (exploration)

  youth reported - Ethnic Identity Scale - exploration subscale Brief - 2 items (Douglass \& Umaña-Taylor, 2015); mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores reflect higher engagement in activities that explore one's ethnic/racial group

  12 months

• Ethnic identity (affirmation)

  youth reported - affirmation subscale brief - 3 items (Douglass \& Umaña-Taylor, 2015); all items are reversed scored; mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores indicate higher affirmation about one's ethnic/racial group

  12 months

• Coping efficacy with discrimination

  youth reported - 3 items adapted for this study (Sandler et al., 2000; Sanchez et al., 2017); mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores indicate higher efficacy in coping with racial discrimination.

  12 months

• Cultural Mistrust

  Youth reported - Cultural Mistrust Inventory for Adolescents (Terrell \& Terrell, 1981) - cultural mistrust in interpersonal relationships subscale modified by Sanchez \& DuBois (2006) - 11 items; 5 reversed scored items; mean scores range from 1 to 4; higher scores indicate more cultural mistrust towards White people

  12 months

Secondary Outcomes (24)

• Bias Awareness

  4 months

• Social Justice interest

  4 months

• Authentic self

  12 months

• Emotional Closeness - Mentor

  12 months

• Emotional Closeness - Youth

  12 months

Study Arms (2)

Culturally Smart Relationships

EXPERIMENTAL

The mentors assigned to this group will receive additional trainings and support related to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI).

Behavioral: Culturally Smart Relationships

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

The mentors assigned to this group will NOT receive an intervention. They will receive the regular training activities that the agency provides.

Interventions

Culturally Smart Relationships BEHAVIORAL

Mentors assigned to the intervention will receive the following trainings and support: 1. Online Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) trainings (self-paced) 2. Culturally Smart Relationships Training (live, virtual) 3. JEDI enhanced monthly supervision from case managers 4. Monthly emails with activity suggestions for mentors and youth

Culturally Smart Relationships

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 9 Years - 17 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• youth is between 9 and 17 years of age
• youth is eligible for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Community-Based Mentoring (CBM) program as determined by initial assessment of program staff
• youth is a member of a racial/ethnic minority group, such as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Native Alaskan/Native Hawaiian, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern/North African or Arab American
• Parents of the above youth who are able to complete study measures in English or Spanish
• Mentors are eligible for the study if they are applying and accepted to the CBM program and are eventually matched with a youth who meet the study criteria above or currently in an existing match with a youth who meet eligibility criteria.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Illinois at Chicago: lead
• William T. Grant Foundation: collaborator
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: collaborator
• Herrera Consulting Group, LLC: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, 60607, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Sanchez B, Anderson AJ, Herrera C, DuBois DL, Bourke KT, Sack JK, Lee SJ, Burchwell K, Monjaras-Gaytan LY, Garcia-Murillo Y. The effectiveness of providing training and ongoing support to foster cultural humility in volunteers serving as mentors to youth of color: a mixed-methods study protocol. BMC Public Health. 2025 Jan 24;25(1):294. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-21508-x.

  PMID: 39849441 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Racism

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Prejudice; Social Behavior; Behavior; Social Discrimination

Study Officials

• Bernadette Sanchez, PhD

  University of Illinois at Chicago

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• David L DuBois, PhD

  University of Illinois at Chicago

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Carla Herrera, PhD

  Herrera Consulting Group, LLC

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned to a cultural humility and social justice training and support intervention or to a control group for a period of one year.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 21, 2022
• First Posted: May 26, 2022
• Study Start: February 16, 2022
• Primary Completion: January 31, 2025
• Study Completion: January 31, 2025
• Last Updated: September 27, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-09

Locations

US (1)