Youth Empowerment and Safety Intervention
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Treatment as Usual, Peer Support Services (PSS).
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Suicide, Self-Injurious Behavior. Basic parameters: 12 years — 17 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Youth Empowerment and Safety Intervention for Systems-involved Sexual and Gender Minority Youth at Risk of Suicide
Overview
This clinical trial will implement and evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and initial impact of Peer Support Specialist (PSS) services for public system-involved sexual and gender minority (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and/or transgender) youth (SGMY) at risk of suicide.
Detailed description
A sharp increase in U.S. youth mental health problems coupled with the national shortage in child behavioral health clinicians has identified peer providers as a cost- and impact-effective solution. Peer Support Specialists (PSS), paraprofessionals with lived experience who provide mutual and structured support, have been found to be effective in improving client engagement in mental health services. The study proposes to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and initial impact of a multi-level intervention, Youth Empowerment \& Safety (YES), comprised of two coordinated components: 1) system-level improved identification and referral (I/R) of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) among sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY), and 2) introduction of an SGMY-tailored support PSS to enhance engagement and support with behavioral health treatment and other support services.
Interventions
- Behavioral Treatment as Usual
Behavioral health services (treatment as usual) - Behavioral Peer Support Services (PSS)
Behavioral health services (treatment as usual) along with referral to and utilization of Peer Support Specialist services
Primary outcome measures
- Youth-level changes in Recovery [Time frame: Baseline, Post-Intervention 3 Month, and Post Intervention 6 Month]
- Youth Level Changes in Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors [Time frame: From enrollment (baseline), to 3- and 6 months follow ups post treatment at the end of 8-12 weeks.]
Secondary outcome measures (3)
- Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression Scale - PHQ-9 [Time frame: Study enrollment (baseline) and 3- and 6-month follow-ups]
- Youth level changes in minority stress [Time frame: baseline, 3- month post, 6-month follow up]
- Youth Level Changes in Perceived Parent Acceptance [Time frame: baseline, 3-month post, 6 month follow up]
Eligibility criteria
Child Inclusion Criteria:
- 12-17 years of age
- Self-identify as a sexual or gender minority (SGM)
- Involved in one or more system: juvenile justice, child welfare, and/or community-based mental health
- Personal experience with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB)
- English speaking
- Willing and able to provide informed assent
Child Exclusion Criteria:
- Less than 12 or greater than 17 years of age (0-11 or 18 and over)
- Do not self-identify as a sexual or gender minority (SGM)
- Not involved in the juvenile justice, child welfare, and/or community-based mental health systems
- No personal experience with self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB)
- Not English speaking
- Unwilling and/or unable to provide informed assent
Caregiver Inclusion Criteria:
- 18-80 years of age
- Primary Caregiver of youth who meet child inclusion criteria listed above
- English speaking
- Willing and able to provide informed consent
Caregiver Exclusion Criteria:
- Less than 18 or greater than 80 years of age (0-17 or 81 and over)
- Not the Primary Caregiver of youth who meet child inclusion criteria listed above
- Not English speaking
- Unwilling and/or unable to provide informed consent
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Non-randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- Case Western Reserve University — Cleveland
Publications
- Prince DM, Ray-Novak M, Gillani B, Peterson E. Sexual and Gender Minority Youth in Foster Care: An Evidence-Based Theoretical Conceptual Model of Disproportionality and Psychological Comorbidities. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2022 Dec;23(5):1643-1657. doi: 10.1177/15248380211013129. Epub 2021 May 4. PMID 33942681
- Gillani B, Prince DM, Ray-Novak M, Feerasta G, Jones D, Mintz LJ, Moore SE. Mapping the Dynamic Complexity of Sexual and Gender Minority Healthcare Disparities: A Systems Thinking Approach. Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Feb 6;12(4):424. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12040424. PMID 38391800
- Prince, D. M., Ray-Novak, M*. Tossone, K., Peterson, E.*, Gillani, B.*, & Mintz, L. (2024). Psychological comorbidities and suicidality in sexual and gender minority foster youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 156 (2024): 107379.
- Prince DM, Schuler MS, Lewis K, Munson MR, Blashill AJ, Hovmand PS. Opportunities to Address Health Disparities in Suicidality for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth in Public Systems. Mental Health Sci. 2025 Mar;3(1):10.1002/mhs2.100. doi: 10.1002/mhs2.100. Epub 2024 Dec 19. No abstract available. PMID 41367936
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07214233 · STUDY20241289 · 1R34MH134912-01A1