Middle School to High School Transition Project: Depression and Substance Abuse Prevention (CAST-T/HSTS)
July 7, 2016 updated by: Elizabeth McCauley, University of Washington
Middle School to High School Transition Project
This study will implement a school-based program to prevent depression, academic failure, and substance use in at-risk adolescents transitioning from middle school to high school.
Study Overview
Status
Completed
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Detailed Description
The transition from middle school to high school presents important challenges for adolescents. Programs that enhance personal efficacy and social support resources may prevent at-risk students from developing behaviors that can lead to substance use, academic failure, and depression. This study will implement a skills-based program called Coping and Support Training for the Transition (CAST-T) as a preventive intervention for at-risk students.
At-risk students in eighth grade will be randomly assigned to receive either CAST-T or school as usual. The CAST-T program will initially be delivered in twelve sessions over 6 weeks in the middle school setting. The program includes booster sessions, case management, structured home-based parent education, and support and skills training throughout the transition period. Participants will be assessed from the beginning of eighth grade to the end of ninth grade. Vulnerability to academic problems and depression will be assessed with school records and self-report scale scores.
Study Type
Interventional
Enrollment (Actual)
497
Phase
- Phase 1
Contacts and Locations
This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.
Study Locations
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Washington
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Seattle, Washington, United States, 98195
- University of Washington
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Participation Criteria
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
12 years to 15 years (Child)
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Genders Eligible for Study
All
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- At-risk for substance abuse, academic failure, and depression
- Enrolled in eighth grade in Seattle Public Schools
- English-speaking
Exclusion Criteria:
- Score above the clinical cutoff on the Youth Self Report Aggressive subscale
Study Plan
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Prevention
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: None (Open Label)
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
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Experimental: CAST-T/HSTS
The CAST-T/HSTS condition combined the Brief Intervention and 12 school based small group sessions which taught skills to enhance personal control (to manage depression, anger, stress), self-esteem, decision making and interpersonal communications.
HSTS skills groups were held in the spring of 8th grade with 4 one-on-one booster sessions delivered to the students as 9th graders by HSTP leaders; parents also participated in 4 sessions.
HSTS objectives are: 1) to increase the acquisition of coping skills competencies by teaching and practicing strategies taught; 2) to increase social support resources by building a supportive network; 3) to increase the youth's engagement in positive social activities; and 4) to motivate parents to increase their support via parent educational sessions.
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Skills training small group.
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Active Comparator: Brief Intervention
Brief Intervention: After each youth and parent completed baseline questionnaires the youth participated in a 1 on 1 standardized clinical follow-up with a trained clinician (blind to study condition) to review areas of concern, based on questionnaire responses including stressors at school, home, and with peers, level of support available and how to access support.
The teen and clinician then planned a feedback call to parents, allowing teens to shape requests for support from parents as well as understand exactly what information would be shared with parents.
Feedback call to parents reviewed concerns and made recommendations for services as needed.
A similar procedure was followed after each assessment for all participants who indicated a risk of clinical depression or self-harm.
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Assessment of needs and referral to services as needed.
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What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
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Change in Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ)
Time Frame: Baseline to 18 months
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The Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire is a 13 item measure of level of self reported depressive symptoms.
Each item in scored on a 3-point Likert scale as follows: "True" (0), "Sometimes" (1), and "Not True" (2) rated within the timeframe of the previous two weeks.
A total score is obtained; scores can range from 0 to 26.
Total scores of 12 or higher may signify that a child/adolescent is suffering from depression.
Higher scores on this scale suggest a worse outcome or greater endorsement of depressive symptoms.
Change is measured based on two time points baseline to the 18 months follow-up assessment.
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Baseline to 18 months
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Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
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School Attachment
Time Frame: 18 months
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School attachment measure consisted of 4 items. Item responses range from 0 (unsatisfied, rarely attended, not involved, etc.) to 6 (highly satisfied, regularly attended, very involved, etc). Scores could range from 0 to 36 with higher scores indicating more positive school attachment. Item were: My overall satisfaction with classes was… Overall, how safe did school feel last semester… Overall, how friendly did school feel… How involved were you in school activities… |
18 months
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Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Sponsor
Collaborators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Elizabeth McCauley, PhD, University of Washington
- Principal Investigator: Ann Vander Stoep, PhD, University of Washington
Publications and helpful links
The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.
General Publications
- Lyon AR, Ludwig KA, Stoep AV, Gudmundsen G, McCauley E. Patterns and Predictors of Mental Healthcare Utilization in Schools and other Service Sectors among Adolescents at Risk for Depression. School Ment Health. 2013 Aug 1;5(3):10.1007/s12310-012-9097-6. doi: 10.1007/s12310-012-9097-6.
- Banh MK, Crane PK, Rhew I, Gudmundsen G, Stoep AV, Lyon A, McCauley E. Measurement equivalence across racial/ethnic groups of the mood and feelings questionnaire for childhood depression. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2012 Apr;40(3):353-67. doi: 10.1007/s10802-011-9569-4.
- Rhew IC, Simpson K, Tracy M, Lymp J, McCauley E, Tsuang D, Stoep AV. Criterion validity of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire and one- and two-item depression screens in young adolescents. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2010 Feb 9;4(1):8. doi: 10.1186/1753-2000-4-8.
- Kuo E, Vander Stoep A, McCauley E, Kernic MA. Cost-effectiveness of a school-based emotional health screening program. J Sch Health. 2009 Jun;79(6):277-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2009.00410.x.
- McCormick E, Thompson K, Stoep AV, McCauley E. The Case for School-Based Depression Screening: Evidence From Established Programs. Rep Emot Behav Disord Youth. 2009 Fall;9(4):91-96.
- Blossom JB, Adrian MC, Stoep AV, McCauley E. Mechanisms of Change in the Prevention of Depression: An Indicated School-Based Prevention Trial at the Transition to High School. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2020 Apr;59(4):541-551. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2019.05.031. Epub 2019 Jun 20.
- Makover H, Adrian M, Wilks C, Read K, Stoep AV, McCauley E. Indicated Prevention for Depression at the Transition to High School: Outcomes for Depression and Anxiety. Prev Sci. 2019 May;20(4):499-509. doi: 10.1007/s11121-019-01005-5.
Helpful Links
Study record dates
These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.
Study Major Dates
Study Start
March 1, 2003
Primary Completion (Actual)
June 1, 2007
Study Completion (Actual)
June 1, 2007
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
October 24, 2003
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
October 27, 2003
First Posted (Estimate)
October 28, 2003
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Estimate)
August 17, 2016
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
July 7, 2016
Last Verified
July 1, 2016
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- 21484-EG
- R01MH061984 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
NO
IPD Plan Description
Add data has been de-identified.
De-identified data is available to share.
This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.