Project 2: Optimizing Engagement and Outcomes in STAND Digital Therapy
University of California, Los Angeles
Summary
The goal is to optimize peer coaching in order to optimize engagement and outcomes in digital therapy. The unmet mental health needs of community college students are staggering and a growing body of research demonstrates that therapy provided digitally with the assistance of trained community members without advanced degrees in mental health is an effective and scalable way to address these needs. Despite being effective for improving symptoms and functioning in those who engage in it, uptake and engagement in digital therapy is generally quite low. Recent research suggests that this is especially true of Latinx individuals, who tend to have unique and significant unmet mental health needs. To address these issues, Project 2 will examine treatment engagement, treatment satisfaction, symptoms and functioning outcomes among Latinx students at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) receiving digital therapy with peer coaching in the STAND program.
Description
A sample of 240 students who identify as Latinx will be recruited. A 2x2 design will randomize students to 1 of 4 peer coaching conditions (n = 60 per condition): 1) demographic matching + standard supervision, 2) demographic matching + reduced supervision, 3) no demographic matching + standard supervision, and 4) no demographic matching + reduced supervision. Students in the demographic matching condition will be assigned to peer coaches who also identify as Latinx, whereas those in the no demographic matching condition will be assigned to peer coaches who do not identify as Latinx. Supervisi…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–40 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Currently enrolled in the East Los Angeles College * Either uninsured or covered by California Medicaid * Own or have private access to internet to complete the assessments and online prevention and therapy programs * Self-identify as Latinx. Exclusion Criteria: * Unable to fully comprehend the consent form, respond adequately to screening questions, or maintain focus or to sit still during assessment * Diagnosed with disorders requiring more specialized care (e.g., psychotic disorder, severe eating disorder, severe substance use disorder, severe neurological disorder)…
Interventions
- BehavioralDemographic Matching
At randomization, students will be randomized to a Latinx or non-Latinx coach and will be informed whether or not their coach identifies as Latinx. Although we are not recruiting coaches or matching coaches with participants based on gender, gender identity or lived experience with mental health problems, we will collect these data from coaches in order to do conduct secondary exploratory analyses examining these variables as predictors or moderators of outcome.
- BehavioralSupervision Intensity
Coaches will be assigned to either standard supervision or reduced supervision, with equal distribution across Latinx vs non-Latinx. Coaches assigned to standard supervision will receive weekly supervision by a licensed provider consistent with the procedures outlined in the Data and Safety Monitoring Plan for the Signature Project. Coaches assigned to reduced supervision will attend weekly group supervision, but their session recordings or live sessions will not be reviewed by licensed supervisors or advanced peers and they will not receive personalized feedback about how they are performing in their sessions. Students will not be informed which supervision condition they have been assigned to in order to maintain high treatment expectancies. Of note, this design prohibits the coach and supervisors from being blind to participant condition.
Location
- East Los Angeles CollegeLos Angeles, California