Transforming Adolescent Mental Health Through Accessible, Scalable, Technology-supported Small-group Instruction

NCT05860257 | Active Not Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: STUDY00000719
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,200
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 3

Brief Summary

Adolescence is a developmental period of significant risk for anxiety, depressive symptoms, and suicidality, and the investigators propose to target key peer-based risk and protective factors using Cooperative Learning (CL). CL is a small-group instructional approach that can enhance peer relations and reduce peer-related risks, as well as promote academic engagement and achievement and reduce racial disparities. CL will be delivered with the aid of technology that automates the design and delivery of CL lessons, promoting rapid implementation, scalability, high fidelity, accessibility, and sustainability.

Conditions

Anxiety Depression; Suicidal Ideation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (32)

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7

  Anxiety (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 1

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7

  Anxiety (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 1

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7

  Anxiety (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 2

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7

  Anxiety (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 2

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7

  Anxiety (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 3

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7

  Anxiety (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 3

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7

  Anxiety (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 4

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7

  Anxiety (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 4

• Patient Health Questionnaire

  Depressive symptoms (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 1

• Patient Health Questionnaire

  Depressive symptoms (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 1

• Patient Health Questionnaire

  Depressive symptoms (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 2

• Patient Health Questionnaire

  Depressive symptoms (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 2

• Patient Health Questionnaire

  Depressive symptoms (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 3

• Patient Health Questionnaire

  Depressive symptoms (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 3

• Patient Health Questionnaire

  Depressive symptoms (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 4

• Patient Health Questionnaire

  Depressive symptoms (scores zero to 3, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 4

• Youth Risk and Behavior Survey

  Suicide ideation (scores zero to 6, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 1

• Youth Risk and Behavior Survey

  Suicide ideation (scores zero to 6, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 1

• Youth Risk and Behavior Survey

  Suicide ideation (scores zero to 6, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 2

• Youth Risk and Behavior Survey

  Suicide ideation (scores zero to 6, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 2

• Youth Risk and Behavior Survey

  Suicide ideation (scores zero to 6, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 3

• Youth Risk and Behavior Survey

  Suicide ideation (scores zero to 6, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 3

• Youth Risk and Behavior Survey

  Suicide ideation (scores zero to 6, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 4

• Youth Risk and Behavior Survey

  Suicide ideation (scores zero to 6, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 4

• Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents

  Service utilization (scores zero to 20, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 1

• Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents

  Service utilization (scores zero to 20, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 1

• Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents

  Service utilization (scores zero to 20, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 2

• Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents

  Service utilization (scores zero to 20, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 2

• Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents

  Service utilization (scores zero to 20, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 3

• Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents

  Service utilization (scores zero to 20, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 3

• Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents

  Service utilization (scores zero to 20, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Fall of Year 4

• Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents

  Service utilization (scores zero to 20, higher scores imply worse outcome)

  Spring of Year 4

Secondary Outcomes (88)

• Everyday Discrimination Scale

  Fall of Year 1

• Everyday Discrimination Scale

  Spring of Year 1

• Everyday Discrimination Scale

  Fall of Year 2

• Everyday Discrimination Scale

  Spring of Year 2

• Everyday Discrimination Scale

  Fall of Year 3

Study Arms (2)

Implementation of PeerLearning.net

EXPERIMENTAL

Teachers in implementation schools will be given access to training and resources to implement PeerLearning.net as a core component of instruction. Investigators will not create specific requirements of teachers but will ask that they deliver lessons with PeerLearning.net at least four times per month. Investigators will monitor all teacher usage and thus will be able to promote greater usage by (1) publicly acknowledging teachers that are using it frequently and experiencing success, and (2) targeting teachers who use it infrequently with additional resources and support to encourage more frequent use.

Behavioral: PeerLearning.net

Pre-Intervention

NO INTERVENTION

Teachers in pre-intervention schools will continue with business as usual (i.e., typical instruction). Based upon previous experience in conducting research in school settings, teachers in pre-intervention schools will likely use CL very infrequently, and without the benefit of technology support.

Interventions

PeerLearning.net BEHAVIORAL

PeerLearning.net provides an easy-to-use, scalable, and widely accessible means to support teachers in effectively designing and delivering high-fidelity Cooperative Learning (CL) lessons and, in turn, it has the potential to amplify the positive effects of CL found in previous research. Using PeerLearning.net, teachers design their lesson by selecting from among a set of typical CL lesson templates (e.g., jigsaw, peer tutoring, group projects) which they can customize and populate with their own curriculum and materials. These design templates represent the optimal, high-fidelity design that is required in order for CL to be successful. During lesson delivery, PeerLearning.net manages membership in learning groups, distributes instructional materials, directs student activities according to a pre-specified timetable, supports teacher observations of student behavior, and delivers post-lesson group activities and reviews.

Implementation of PeerLearning.net

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• All students and teachers in target grades in participating schools.

You may not qualify if:

• None.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Oregon: lead
• Arizona State University: collaborator
• University of Wisconsin, Madison: collaborator
• Oregon Research Institute: collaborator

Study Sites (3)

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona, 85281, United States

Location

U of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon, 97401, United States

Location

U of Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Suicidal Ideation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Suicide; Self-Injurious Behavior; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Investigators will allocate 20 high schools to intervention vs. control groups. Investigators will recruit in two cohorts (Fall 2023 and Fall 2024). Students will be in 9th grade in the first year, and will be followed into 10th, 11th, and then 12th grade, so in total the investigators will be working in each school for four years.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 20, 2023
• First Posted: May 16, 2023
• Study Start: September 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 15, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 15, 2027
• Last Updated: October 3, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: ICF
• Time Frame: As noted above, descriptive/raw data will be submitted semi-annually, and submission of all other data will occur at the time of publication, or prior to the end of the grant, whichever occurs first.
• Access Criteria: There is no criteria.

Locations

US (3)