Adapted Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) to Decrease Psychological Distress Among Urban Youth and Caregivers in NYC: a Pilot Study
The New School
Summary
The EASE program is an existing, evidence-based program/intervention (originally developed by the WHO), and this study is limited to evaluating the local implementation of this program. The aims of this pilot study are to: * Assess the acceptability and feasibility of training and supervision of EASE Helpers (community staff members) through an adapted EASE training. * Evaluate possible problems of recruitment, intervention delivery, and participant retention. * Assess the feasibility of EASE being delivered via a partnership between researchers and community members. * Evaluate implementation of EASE via the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework A mixed-methods design with qualitative and quantitative approaches will be used to assess these objectives.
Description
Despite the growing need for adolescent mental health services in the US, access to treatment has remained especially inequitable for ethnic minorities. Studies have identified socio-ecological barriers, such as stigma, caregiver attitudes, and income, that contribute to a number of disparities between ethnically minoritized adolescents and their white counterparts. Although there is support for evidence-based psychotherapies in improving youth mental health outcomes generally, the mental health burden and structural inequities faced by ethnically minoritized adolescents call for novel approac…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 10+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Adolescents * 10-15 years old * English-speaking * Has obtained parental permission from a legally authorized representative (e.g. legal guardian). ○ Caregiver * English-speaking * Is a caretaker of a child ages 10-15 years old, meaning they regularly take care of a child * Adults who are above the age of 18 who meet the above criteria can participate. Exclusion Criteria: * The program is not intended for adolescents and caregivers who are experiencing severe cognitive impairments and/or have an imminent risk of suicide/acute protection needs.
Interventions
- BehavioralEASE
This is the first time EASE is being used in New York to support youth community mental health.
Location
- The New School Center for Global Mental HealthNew York, New York