Empowering Students Project

The Empowering Students Project is an evaluation of the effectiveness of a psychoeducational program for adolescents, intended to help youth build healthy relationship skills while supporting positive socioemotional development and promoting successful transition to young adulthood.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Relationship, Social
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Relationship Smarts Combo

Detailed Description

Participants complete measures of the primary outcomes immediately prior to beginning the intervention and again immediately after completion of the program. Analyses will examine within-person change from pre-test to post-test.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 1745

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Fort Worth, Texas, United States, 76107
      • The Parenting Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: No older than 23 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Students who are enrolled in schools (or other programs) that opt to offer the intervention.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• None

Exclusion Criteria:

• None

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Relationship Quality	For participants who are in a relationship: Ten items, scored on a 5-point scale and averaged, for a possible range of 1-5. Sample item: "My boyfriend/girlfriend and I talk about the things that really matter." For participants who are not in a relationship: Six items, scored on a 4-point scale and averaged, for a possible range of 1-4. Sample item: "I have the skills needed for a lasting, stable romantic relationship." Higher scores reflect better outcomes.	Baseline: Immediately prior to the first workshop session; Follow-up: Immediately following the last workshop session (ranging from ~4-8 weeks in between time points, depending on how the workshop is delivered)
Change in Communication Skills	For participants who are in a relationship: Six items, scored on a 5-point scale and averaged, for a possible range of 1-5. Sample item: "How often do you discuss your disagreements?" For participants who are not in a relationship: Five items, scored on a 4-point scale and averaged, for a possible range of 1-4. Sample item: "Listening to another person's opinion during a disagreement." Higher scores reflect better outcomes.	Baseline: Immediately prior to the first workshop session; Follow-up: Immediately following the last workshop session (ranging from ~4-8 weeks in between time points, depending on how the workshop is delivered)
Change in Knowledge About Healthy Relationships	Eight items, scored on a 4-point scale and averaged, for a possible range of 1-4. Sample item: "In a healthy relationship, how important is it that couples do not cheat on each other?" Higher scores reflect better outcomes.	Baseline: Immediately prior to the first workshop session; Follow-up: Immediately following the last workshop session (ranging from ~4-8 weeks in between time points, depending on how the workshop is delivered)
Knowledge about Intimate Partner Violence	Four items, scored on a 4-point scale and averaged, for a possible range of 1-4. Sample item: "It's okay to stay in a relationship even if you're afraid of your boyfriend/girlfriend." Higher scores reflect better outcomes.	Baseline: Immediately prior to the first workshop session; Follow-up: Immediately following the last workshop session (ranging from ~4-8 weeks in between time points, depending on how the workshop is delivered)
Change in Increased Knowledge, Skills, and Confidence	Three items, scored on a 4-point scale and averaged, for a possible range of 1-4. Sample item: "I have learned new skills in this program that I plan to use in my relationships." Higher scores reflect better outcomes.	Baseline: Immediately prior to the first workshop session; Follow-up: Immediately following the last workshop session (ranging from ~4-8 weeks in between time points, depending on how the workshop is delivered)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Texas at Austin

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 3, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 29, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): September 29, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 16, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 19, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): August 22, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 10, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 7, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 90ZD0017

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No