Decisional Capacity and Informed Consent in Fragile X Syndrome

February 25, 2019 updated by: RTI International
The Decisional Capacity and Informed Consent in Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) project is for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, 1R01HD071987-01A1, and will provide the first comprehensive description of decisional capacity of individuals with FXS; identify individual, family, and experiential factors associated with variability in decisional capacity; determine the validity of caregiver and expert ratings; and develop evidence-based guidelines for categorizing decisional capacity of individuals with FXS. The researchers will develop a methodologically rigorous and conceptually grounded decision aid using digital technology to enhance participation of individuals with FXS in the consent process.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

FXS is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability (ID). The typical male has an IQ (intelligence quotient) of 50 to 55, but involvement ranges from mild to severe. Females are generally less affected and have a broader range in function. Some have severe ID and adaptive impairments, but most have a normal or borderline intellectual ability. This wide range in cognitive skills leads to variable ability to make choices and live independently. Most research on individuals with FXS has been noninvasive, limited to parent surveys and psychological assessments. Studies such as these evoke few if any major ethical concerns, so the consent process typically involves a straightforward parental consent. Some studies have drawn blood, collected saliva, measured heart rate, or used neuroimaging, but until recently there has been a paucity of treatment research. This scenario has changed dramatically in the past several years. Advances in understanding the molecular basis of FXS have led to a new generation of treatments, and clinical trials are under way using a variety of compounds. The possibility of side effects and the potential for significant changes in behavior and ability elevate to a new level the importance of obtaining meaningful consent, not only from parents, but also from individuals with FXS. Researchers and Institutional Review Board (IRB) members need data to guide decisions about involving individuals with FXS in the consent process. Unfortunately, little is known about the extent to which individuals with FXS can be or are involved in decisions about research participation. This project will assess the range of decisional capacity in FXS, identify factors associated with individual differences in decisional capacity, validate a rating scale for categorizing decisional capacity, and develop a novel tablet-based decision aid technology to assist researchers and clinicians in maximizing decisional capacity and consent. This study will work toward achieving two overarching aims: 1) Characterize and explain individual differences in decisional capacity in FXS, 2) Design and evaluate the effect of a tablet-based decision aid on participation in the consent process for a hypothetical clinical trial. Ultimately, this study will provide important information about the nature of decisional capacity in FXS and validate a novel intervention to maximize successful participation in the consent process.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

152

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States, 27709
        • RTI International

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

10 years to 38 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Places in the first 3 categories of the MacCAT flip chart
  • Can provide informed consent using a standard practice

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not in the first 3 categories of the MacCAT flipchart
  • Not able to provide informed consent without significant modifications to consent procedures

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: Screening
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Other: Comparison Condition
Paper and pencil informed consent
Other: Paper and Pencil Informed Consent
Paper-based informed consent form will be sent to participant and family before data collection visit. They will be able to review as many times as they wish before visit. During visits, simplified overview of informed consent form will be provided in person just once. For MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool (MacCAT) Questions, All questions will be asked after the disclosure information has been presented. Questions will have the same wording as experimental condition. Procedures will mimic MacCAT/flipchart (incorrect or partial credit will be given opportunity to answer question again after disclosure information is repeated). There will be multiple choice options rather than open-ended. Finally, data collection will be done through paper and pencil.
Experimental: Intervention condition
Digital informed consent tool
Other: Digital Informed Consent Tool
Paper informed consent form will be sent to participant and family before data collection visit. They will be able to review as many times as they wish before visit. During visits, the participant can go through the tablet-based tool up to 3 times. All questions will be embedded within the vignettes/presentation of disclosure information. Question will use simplified wording, similar to flipchart. Procedures will mimic MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool (MacCAT) /flipchart (incorrect or partial credit will be given opportunity to answer question again after disclosure information is repeated). Multiple choice options will be utilized rather than open-ended. Finally, response data stored within tool and exported to dataset for analysis.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Decisional Capacity - Understanding Score
Time Frame: Day 1, immediately following presentation of the material in the intervention or comparison condition
MacArthur Decisional Capacity - understanding score, range 0 (no understanding) to 26 (perfect understanding) A summary score was calculated, ranging from 0-26. Scores were then translated into a percentage based on the number of questions answered. A score of 100% indicates that the participant answered each understanding question correctly on the first attempt.
Day 1, immediately following presentation of the material in the intervention or comparison condition

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

RTI International

Collaborators

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Investigators

  • Study Director: Robert Furberg, PhD, RTI International

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

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 (Actual)

March 14, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 21, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

March 21, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 22, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 4, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

June 9, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 7, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 25, 2019

Last Verified

February 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • FXS
  • 1R01HD071987-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

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.

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