A Strength-Based Intervention to Improve Job Interview Skills in Neurodiverse Young Adults

the investigators are looking to evaluate the effectiveness of a strength-based program in improving job interview skills in neurodiverse young adults. This program is designed to help participants understand and speak to others about their personal qualities and abilities. The investigators are examining the effects of this program in young adults who may have difficulty with job interviews, and who may want to improve these skills. Some of these young adults have received special education services in the past for learning differences, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or dyslexia.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: ADHD; Dyslexia; Learning Disabilities
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: KF-STRIDE®

Detailed Description

Practicing job interview skills has been identified as an important target for job employment services in N-TAY. However, the majority of studies using interventions in neurodiverse individuals have taken a deficit-based approach (i.e. to fix what is deficient in a person). This approach has triggered increasing criticism and dissatisfaction from the disability community. Further, focusing on deficits will not result in identification, awareness, or expression of strengths, important skills needed for self-advocacy and transition to adulthood. KF-STRIDE takes a strength-based approach, using principles of positive psychology to help N-TAY identify and express their unique character strengths to future employers. Over the course of a recently funded pilot study, the team has evaluated the efficacy of KF-STRIDE in those on the autism spectrum. The investigators have found that individuals on the spectrum who train with KF-STRIDE show improved job interview skills, and preliminary data indicates that they also have improved chances of obtaining employment in the community. However, KF-STRIDE has never been evaluated in youth other than those on the spectrum, including those with ADHD, dyslexia or other learning differences which may benefit from the training. The investigators aim to evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of KF-STRIDE in a randomized controlled trial comparing KF-STRIDE to services as usual (SAU) to improve employment, as well as identify mechanistic targets which may lead to improved employment, and to evaluate the fidelity, acceptability, usability, and feasibility of the proposed intervention, KF-STRIDE, via initial process evaluation.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Helen Genova; Phone Number: 973-324-8390; Email: hgenova@kesslerfoundation.org
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Katarina Reduzzi; Email: kreduzzi@kesslerfoundation.org

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Lives in the United States of America
• Between the ages of 14-26 Speaks English well
• At a 4th grade reading level

Exclusion Criteria:

• Had a stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, or neurological injury or disease in the past(like brain tumor or epilepsy)
• Has a history of significant psychiatric illness(like schizophrenia or psychosis)
• Has uncontrolled seizures or other unstable medical complications

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Treatment Group; In this arm, participants would participate in in an intervention program that uses character strengths to improve job maintenance skills in young adults.	Behavioral: KF-STRIDE®; Treatment group will receive 12 web based sessions of a strength-based training tool (once or twice a week). Sessions are approximately 60 minutes long.; Other Names: Kessler Foundation Strength Identification and Expression
No Intervention: Control Group; In this arm, participants are services as usual and will participate in their regular activities.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time-to-reach Employment	We will examine how long it took for the person to obtain employment. Assessed as weeks since intervention completion.	6 months Post-Test
Mock Job Interview	Blinded reviewers using a standardized scoring measure will rate the video recorded mock job interviews, where the minimum total value is a 0 and the maximum total value is 77, with higher scores meaning a better outcome.	[Time Frame: Baseline, Immediate Post-Test between weeks 7 and 8]
Employment Status	We will examine whether the person became employed or other changes to their employment status. Yes=1, No=0	Baseline, Immediate Post-Test between weeks 7 and 8, and 6 months Post-Test
Strength Knowledge and Strengths Use Scale (SKUS)	Measure to assess knowledge and use of one's strengths and measure changes following strengths-based interventions. Two scores: Strengths Use and Strengths Knowledge. Strengths Use values range from 14-98, with higher score indicating a better outcome. Strengths Knowledge values range from 8-56, with higher score indicating a better outcome	Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8
Youth Interview- Self Efficacy and Anxiety	25 items combined, about confidence and interview comfort in adolescents, with values ranging from 0 to 5 for each item, and higher scores meaning a better outcome.	Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8
Job Search Behavior Scale	12 items measuring how often one engages in job search activities- language modified for use in youth, with values ranging from 1-5, with higher scores meaning a better outcome.	Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8
Work Readiness Scale	13 items about the perception of one's ability to work, with values ranging from 1 to 5, with higher scores meaning a better outcome.	Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8
Global Assessment of Character Strengths (GACS)	24 items measuring one's identification of personal character strengths, with values ranging from 1 to 5, with higher scores meaning a better outcome	Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kessler Foundation
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Helen Genova, Kessler Foundation

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): August 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 17, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 27, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): June 28, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 24, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 22, 2024
• Last Verified: July 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Specific Learning Disorder; Dyslexia; Learning Disabilities
• Other Study ID Numbers: E-1251-24

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

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

Drug and device information, study documents

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