Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength

NCT07378254 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: Pro20230004541K01MH131797-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will build a partnership with a Community Advisory Board to co-produce, and then pilot test, a theory-guided mental health literacy intervention focused on trauma and substance use. Participants will take part in educational group sessions for 12 weeks and complete assessments at baseline and two follow-up time points (mid-intervention and post-intervention). Intervention participants will be randomly invited to post-study focus groups to gather feedback on their experiences in the program.

Conditions

Substance Use; Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders

Keywords

mental health literacy; trauma; substance use; psychoeducation; Black and African American; young adults

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (8)

• Change in scores on the Multicomponent Mental Health Literacy Measure (MMHLM)

  Assesses knowledge and beliefs about mental health disorders, including symptoms, causes, prevention and treatment strategies. Total scores range from 22 to 110, with higher scores indicating greater MHL.

  3-months

• Change in scores on the Short Attitudes Towards Mental Health Problems Scale (SATMHPS)

  Measures personal, family, and community attitudes and stigma related to mental health challenges. Mean scores for subscales range from 0 to 3, with higher scores indicating more negative attitudes.

  3-months

• Change in scores on the Mental Help Seeking Intention Scale (MHSIS)

  Measures intentions to seek help from a mental health professional in the event of a mental health concern. Mean scores range from from 1 to 7, with higher scores indicating stronger intentions.

  3-months

• Change in scores on the Self-Efficacy in Seeking Mental Health Care (SE-SMHC)

  Assesses perceived ability to seek professional mental health care. Total scores range from 9 to 90, while subscale scores range from 5 to 50 (SE-KNOW) and 4 to 40 (SE-COPE).

  3-months

• Participant engagement as assessed by rates of participant recruitment and proportion of eligible participants who are enrolled in the study

  3-months

• Participant satisfaction at mid- and post-intervention (quantitative)

  Mean scores (ranging from 1 to 5) on ten Likert items assessing length of the program, pace of learning and discussing material, group format, meeting time and location, group facilitator, and program materials (i.e., amount of information given, clarity of the information given, ability to understand information, ability to apply material in real life). One additional item will ask how participants would rate the helpfulness of the FEELS intervention (1 = very unhelpful to 5 = very helpful).

  3-months

• Participant satisfaction at post-intervention (qualitative)

  Three survey questions will ask participants for feedback on the intervention (facilitators for participation, topics to include in the future, and suggestions for improvement). Post-intervention focus groups will also elicit qualitative appraisals (on intervention length, pace, and modality; ease of reading, understanding, and applying the content; and suggestions for improvement) from a smaller group of intervention participants.

  3-months

• Participant retention and attendance at sessions

  Mean number of intervention sessions attended per participant and proportion of participants who complete the full intervention

  3-months

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Mental health help-seeking behaviors

  3-months

• Changes in scores on the Short PTSD Rating Interview (SPRINT)

  3-months

• Changes in scores on the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST)

  3-months

Study Arms (1)

FEELS

EXPERIMENTAL

Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength

Behavioral: Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength

Interventions

Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength BEHAVIORAL

A group-based, 12-week educational intervention to help promote mental health literacy and related beliefs, especially related to trauma and substance use.

FEELS

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Self-identify as Black or African American
• Be between the ages of 18 and 35 years old
• Endorse previous lifetime trauma exposure
• Participants must speak English
• Participants are capable of giving informed consent and capable of complying with study procedures.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey: lead
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies

Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Wounds and Injuries

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders

Central Study Contacts

Alexandria Bauer, PhD

CONTACT

848-209-1032; alexandria.bauer@rutgers.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 18, 2025
• First Posted: January 30, 2026
• Study Start: March 10, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2028
• Last Updated: April 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)