Increasing Caregiver Engagement in Juvenile Drug Courts

NCT ID: NCT03051997

Last Updated: 2025-12-08

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 53 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2017-10-13
• Study Completion Date: 2024-12-12

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to test a prize-based contingency management intervention for increasing caregiver engagement in juvenile drug court and adolescent drug treatment, and for achieving the ultimate outcomes of reduced substance use and delinquent behavior among drug court-involved youth.

Detailed Description

Juvenile offenders with substance abuse problems represent a large and underserved population that is at high risk of deleterious outcomes and long-term costs for themselves, their families, communities, and society. Moreover, a high percentage of substance abusing adolescents continue to abuse substances and engage in criminal activity into adulthood. Although one juvenile justice intervention, Juvenile Drug Court (JDC), has emerged as a promising model for reducing drug use and delinquency among youth, its effectiveness is variable. Drug court outcomes may be compromised by the lack of caregiver engagement in JDC processes and adolescent drug treatment. Incorporating easily implemented evidence-based incentive programs in JDCs might improve their effectiveness in reducing youth drug use and re-offending. An extensive body of research supports the critical role that families play in the etiology, maintenance, and treatment of adolescent substance abuse. Although family-based interventions for adolescent substance abuse have been shown to be superior to other treatment modalities, parents must attend treatment and participate in meaningful ways for these superior outcomes to be realized. This randomized clinical trial will examine the efficacy of a prize-based contingency management intervention for increasing caregiver engagement (attendance and participation) in JDC and adolescent drug treatment. This caregiver contingency management intervention (CCM) will be compared with drug court treatment as usual (TAU). Increased caregiver participation is predicted to improve adolescent outcomes (decreased drug use and delinquent behavior). One hundred and eighty youth enrolled in JDC will be randomly assigned along with a parent/caregiver to TAU or CCM. Analyses will examine measures of caregiver engagement in JDC as well as youth substance use (urine drug screens) and delinquent activity. Results from this study will demonstrate the effectiveness of CCM procedures for increasing caregiver attendance and participation in JDC and adolescent drug treatment above and beyond drug court and usual care. If effective, the CCM approach may ultimately be used to enhance JDC outcomes, thereby reducing substance use and recidivism in juvenile offenders served by this promising juvenile justice intervention.

Conditions

Substance Abuse

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Caregiver Contingency Management + Usual Drug Court Treatment

This group will receive a caregiver contingency management intervention plus the standard outpatient substance abuse treatment services provided at JDC.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Caregiver Contingency Management + Usual Drug Court Treatment

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

In addition to receiving JDC treatment as usual described below, caregiver participants will receive prize draws for engaging in activities consistent with their adolescents' successful completion of the JDC program during the time the youth is actively involved in JDC and substance abuse treatment. Specific activities that may be reinforced include: attendance at drug court hearings; accompanying the youth to probation meetings; participating in home visits; attendance at the youth's drug treatment sessions; attendance at mental health provider meetings; attending groups for parents of youth with substance abuse issues; and completing other verifiable treatment-related activities. All activities will meet the goals of (directly or indirectly) enhancing caregiver participation in the JDC and/or treatment process. Caregivers will receive escalating chances for tangible reinforcers each week for completing up to 3 of the activities agreed upon by the caregiver and the therapist.

Usual Drug Court Treatment

This group will receive the standard outpatient substance abuse treatment services provided at JDC.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Usual Drug Court Treatment

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Standard outpatient substance abuse treatment services that a young person would receive while participating in JDC.

Interventions

Caregiver Contingency Management + Usual Drug Court Treatment

In addition to receiving JDC treatment as usual described below, caregiver participants will receive prize draws for engaging in activities consistent with their adolescents' successful completion of the JDC program during the time the youth is actively involved in JDC and substance abuse treatment. Specific activities that may be reinforced include: attendance at drug court hearings; accompanying the youth to probation meetings; participating in home visits; attendance at the youth's drug treatment sessions; attendance at mental health provider meetings; attending groups for parents of youth with substance abuse issues; and completing other verifiable treatment-related activities. All activities will meet the goals of (directly or indirectly) enhancing caregiver participation in the JDC and/or treatment process. Caregivers will receive escalating chances for tangible reinforcers each week for completing up to 3 of the activities agreed upon by the caregiver and the therapist.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Usual Drug Court Treatment

Standard outpatient substance abuse treatment services that a young person would receive while participating in JDC.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Involved in juvenile drug court
• Aged 13-17 years
• Youth is willing to participate
• At least one caregiver is willing to participate in the youth's treatment
• Fluent in English or Spanish

• Caregiver of youth involved in juvenile drug court
• Caregiver is willing to participate
• Fluent in English or Spanish

• Providing substance abuse treatment to a youth in juvenile drug court

• Personnel working in juvenile drug court

Exclusion Criteria

• Diagnosed with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder

• Diagnosed with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder

• None

• None

• Minimum Eligible Age: 13 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 89 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Wayne State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Alliant International University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Baylor University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Medical University of South Carolina

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Phillippe Cunningham, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Medical University of South Carolina

David Ledgerwood, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Wayne State University

Stacy Ryan, Ph.D.

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Locations

Montgomer County Juvenile Court, 380 West Second Street

Dayton, Ohio, United States

Nueces County Juvenile Court/Juvenile Treatment Court

Corpus Christi, Texas, United States

Countries

United States

References

Ledgerwood DM, Cunningham PB. Juvenile Drug Treatment Court. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2019 Dec;66(6):1193-1202. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2019.08.011.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 31679607 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

R01MD011322

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

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R01MD011322

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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