XY-Zone Program Evaluation: A School-Based Dropout Prevention Program for At-Risk Youth

NCT ID: NCT01323231

Last Updated: 2013-07-10

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE1/PHASE2
• Total Enrollment: 91 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2011-08-31
• Study Completion Date: 2012-05-31

Brief Summary

The objective of this study is to build upon preliminary research and conduct a pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial on a promising culturally-grounded and gender-specific treatment program, the XY-Zone. The central hypothesis underlying this study purports that through receiving the XY-Zone treatment, adolescents will decrease their risk for dropping out of school. This hypothesis is supported by two years of preliminary data investigating the effectiveness of the XY-Zone.

To test the central hypothesis, the following specific aims will be pursued:

1. Identify school dropout risk and protective factors (protective factors defined as: adult support and peer support; risk factors defined as: low school attendance, inability to achieve grade promotion, substance use, delinquency, school disconnectedness, misbehavior, disconnection from healthy peers) directly changed as a result of XY-Zone intervention.

2. Determine the extent to which moderating variables (affective strength, duration in the program, family functioning, interpersonal strength, intrapersonal strength, level achieved in the program, and resiliency) effect change in outcome variables (risk and protective factors).

3. Identify participants' beliefs about the impact of the mechanisms of change (respect, responsibility, relationship, role modeling, and reaching out) on outcome variables (risk and protective factors ) to enrich understanding of quantitative data.

Conditions

Adolescent Problem Behavior at School; Risk Behavior; Truancy; Socialized

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Communities in Schools Services

Communities in Schools services include case management, mental health services, mentorship services, after school programs, and academic assistance.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

XY-Zone

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The XY-Zone works to empower students to decrease risk factors and increase protective factors through three linear treatment steps. The first step is driven by guiding principles known as the five R's: respect, responsibility, relationship, role modeling, and reaching out. Through these principles, the participant explores healthy psychosocial behaviors and thoughts in a structured 10 session group setting. The leadership step builds upon the guiding principles and employs activities exploring true leadership through 10 sessions. During the leadership step, participants organize and carry out a service learning projects in their community. The third and final step is ambassador. Those in the ambassador step become a mentor to those in step one and are "expected to explore the principles of leadership and the five R's, and determine their personal relevance to their lives as young men" (Allen, 2009, p. i).

Interventions

XY-Zone

The XY-Zone works to empower students to decrease risk factors and increase protective factors through three linear treatment steps. The first step is driven by guiding principles known as the five R's: respect, responsibility, relationship, role modeling, and reaching out. Through these principles, the participant explores healthy psychosocial behaviors and thoughts in a structured 10 session group setting. The leadership step builds upon the guiding principles and employs activities exploring true leadership through 10 sessions. During the leadership step, participants organize and carry out a service learning projects in their community. The third and final step is ambassador. Those in the ambassador step become a mentor to those in step one and are "expected to explore the principles of leadership and the five R's, and determine their personal relevance to their lives as young men" (Allen, 2009, p. i).

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Students eligible to receive the XY-Zone must display one of the following risk factors:

• academic risks (failed classes, failed state examination text, lack of class participation, and homework incompletion)
• attendance risks (absences and tardies)
• behavioral risks (gang involvement, substance use, classroom conduct, social skills, self-esteem, violence, delinquent conduct, and family or emotional crisis)and
• social service issues (difficulty with the following: college readiness, life skills, health, career/employment, housing, day care, and grief or loss).

Exclusion Criteria

• Youth who do not display any of the identified risk factors

• Minimum Eligible Age: 13 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 20 Years
• Eligible Sex: MALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Ronya and George Kozmetsky (RGK) Foundation

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Texas at Austin

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Katherine Montgomery

PhD

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Katherine L Montgomery, PhD, MSSW

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Washington University in Saint Louis

David W Springer, PhD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

The University of Texas at Austin

Locations

Communities in Schools

Austin, Texas, United States

Countries

United States

References

Allen, A. (2008). The XY-Zone project evaluation of Communities in Schools-Central Texas. Independent Outcome Evaluation.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Achenbach, T.M. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/ 4-18 and 1991 Profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont Department of Psychiatry.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Epstein, M.H., Mooney, P., Ryser, G., & Pierce, C.D. (2004). Validity and reliability of the behavioral and emotional rating scale (2nd edition): Youth rating scale. Research on Social Work Practice, 14, 358-367.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Hser YI, Grella CE, Hubbard RL, Hsieh SC, Fletcher BW, Brown BS, Anglin MD. An evaluation of drug treatments for adolescents in 4 US cities. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2001 Jul;58(7):689-95. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.58.7.689.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 11448377 (View on PubMed)

Kristiansen, P.L. & Hubbard, R.L. (2001). Methodological overview and research design for adolescents in the drug abuse treatment outcome studies. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16, 545-562.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Wagnild GM, Young HM. Development and psychometric evaluation of the Resilience Scale. J Nurs Meas. 1993 Winter;1(2):165-78.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 7850498 (View on PubMed)

Singer, J. D. and Willett, J. B. (2003). Applied longitudinal data analysis: Methods for studying change and event occurrence. New York: Oxford University Press.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Creswell J.W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Miles M.B. & Huberman, A.M. (1994). Making good sense: Drawing and verifying conclusions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Other Identifiers

IRB -2010-05-0092

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id