Evaluation of EBT With Young, Substance Abusing Homeless Mothers

A dearth of information is available regarding how best to intervene with substance use disordered homeless mothers and their young children. This proposal follows from the promising findings of a rigorously developed ecologically based treatment that offers a comprehensive intervention for the multiple needs of this vulnerable population. Such research attention is needed in order to effectively intervene in the substance use, HIV risk, mental/physical health and homeless trajectory of these women and their young children. Further, if successful, this intervention may be transportable to communities without crisis shelters and to homeless mothers who do not access shelter or residential treatment services.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Substance Use
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Ecologically Based Therapy; Behavioral: Treatment as Usual; Behavioral: Housing Only

Detailed Description

Homeless mothers with young children in their care contend with high rates of substance use, HIV risk, physical and mental health problems and parenting stress. These struggles are in addition to homelessness and meeting the basic needs of themselves and their children. However, a very limited number of studies have examined mother and child outcomes associated with housing and supportive services. Even with increased focus on those experiencing homelessness, the number of homeless families continues to rise, with the demand for temporary shelter so high that many cities are unable to meet the needs of these families. A comprehensive intervention that can be offered outside the shelter setting may offer greater reach to those experiencing homelessness who do not make it in to the shelter system, and for those communities that do not have shelters available. Among the young homeless, those under age 25, research documents that the majority (70%) have never used shelter services. Research attention towards identifying efficacious interventions for this population which address the multiple needs of these families is thus considered an important focus. The proposed intervention (Ecologically-Based Treatment, EBT) includes housing and supportive services and utilizes an ecological systems approach as the theoretical base. It was rigorously developed in a Stage 1 treatment development study with substance use disordered homeless mothers who were engaged through a crisis shelter. EBT showed several outcomes superior to shelter services and is therefore considered a good fit for a population who avoids the shelter but is in great need of housing and support services. Two hundred forty (N = 240) substance use disordered homeless young women between the ages of 18 to 24 years with a biological child under the age of 6 years in their care will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions:

1. housing and support services (EBT) + Treatment as Usual (TAU) (N = 80),
2. housing only (HO) + TAU (N = 80), or
3. TAU only (N=80).

EBT includes 6 months of supportive services (case management, HIV prevention and the Community Reinforcement Approach) in addition to 3 months of rental assistance. HO includes 3 months of rental assistance, but without supportive services. TAU is usual services offered by a homeless youth drop-in center. Participants will be re-assessed at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months post-baseline. Theoretically derived mediators of change as well as a formal economic evaluation will offer important policy implications. Since homeless substance use disordered mothers and their children are at increased risk for a variety of adverse outcomes, the intervention may produce substantial health-care benefits to their families and society at large.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 240
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Ohio
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • The Ohio State University Department of Human Development and Family Science

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 24 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• aged 18-24 years
• meets McKinney-Vento definition of homeless
• has physical custody of child under the age of 7
• meets DSM5 criteria for alcohol/drug use disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

• Evidence of unremitted psychosis or other condition which would impair mother's ability to understand or participate in the intervention or consent to the research

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Ecologically-Based Therapy + TAU; receives Ecologically-Based Therapy which includes the Community Reinforcement Approach, Strengths-Based Case Management (6 months) and rental assistance for housing (3 months) + TAU	Behavioral: Ecologically Based Therapy; 6 months of community reinforcement approach and case management, 3 months of rental assistance for housing; Behavioral: Treatment as Usual; receives services as normally offered within the community
Experimental: Housing Only + TAU; receives 3 months of rental assistance for housing only + TAU	Behavioral: Treatment as Usual; receives services as normally offered within the community; Behavioral: Housing Only; receives 3 months of project supported rental assistance
Other: treatment as usual (TAU); receives usual treatments/interventions (TAU) within in the community	Behavioral: Treatment as Usual; receives services as normally offered within the community

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in substance use frequency	frequency of substance use is measured at baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12-months post-baseline	12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
change in stable housing	number of days in own apartment paying rent is measured at baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months post-baseline	12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ohio State University
• Collaborators: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 1, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): October 30, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 10, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 14, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): October 16, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 24, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 20, 2019
• Last Verified: December 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2014B0348; R01DA023062 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO