Culturally Centered CBT for Latinx Youth

NCT ID: NCT04278157

Last Updated: 2025-02-06

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 114 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-02-27
• Study Completion Date: 2024-11-25

Brief Summary

The primary aim of the proposed research is to test the effect of a culturally centered treatment protocol, the Socio-cognitive behavioral therapy (SCBT), versus Treatment as Usual on suicidal thoughts and attempts, and depressive symptoms, in a clinical sample of Latinx adolescents. The study is trying to determine, if we take into account perspectives of Latin immigrant families and minority youth, whether better outcomes can be found for this high risk group.

Detailed Description

The overall goal of this research program is to provide effective culturally relevant care to Latin families, and address the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) mission of reducing disparities in underserved and minority populations. Evidence-based and culturally centered treatments for Latinx teens (Latinx = gender inclusive term) with suicidal ideation and attempts (SIA) and their families are quite limited. Emerging evidence indicate that Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a promising treatment approach in reducing suicidal ideation and attempts in Non-Latinx White adolescents. However, culturally adapted treatments have been shown to benefit Latin families more that non-culturally adapted treatments. This study is innovative in its use of a culturally centered CBT treatment protocol (Socio-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicidal Behavior-SCBT-SB) to address the specific needs of Latinx teens and their families. The SCBT-SB, is a modified version of two CBT protocols, which addresses central issues in adolescent identity formation (e.g. ethnicity, sexual orientation), family interactions and communication, and parenting skills. The SCBT-SB was developed with Latinx youth with SIA in Puerto Rico and further modified for Latin families in the US. Feasibility of this modified version of the SCBT-SB was tested in the US by conducting a pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) (n=46) of SCBT vs treatment-as-usual (TAU) with positive results. It was found that SCBT-SB was feasible to implement in a community mental health center with frontline therapists, acceptable to families, and showed reductions in suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms. The scientific premise of the proposed study is that immigration and acculturation (the process of assimilation to the host culture) and enculturation (maintaining cultural values and costumes) experiences have an impact on SIA in Latinx teens; and that personalization of an evidence-based treatment, according to cultural and immigration experiences, will result in better treatment outcomes than TAU. This application proposes a hybrid efficacy/effectiveness trial with 160 suicidal Latinx teens randomly assigned, following baseline assessment, to 2 treatment conditions, TAU and SCBT-SB. Follow-up assessment will take place at 3, 6 and 12 months after baseline. All treatment will take place at a community mental health clinic. The specific aims are: 1) To test the effect of the SCBT-SB versus TAU on suicidal ideation in a clinical sample of adolescents under conditions of strong external validity, and 2) To test the effect of the SCBT-SB versus TAU on depressive symptoms, given its high correlation with SIA. Exploratory aims are: 3) To examine the effect of SCBT-SB versus TAU on suicide attempts, and 4) To examine potential mediators (family environment) of treatment outcome. Successful completion of this study will positively impact treatment of Latinx immigrant adolescents at high risk of SIA in the US.

Conditions

Suicide

Study Design

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

Study Groups

SCBT-SB

A culturally centered CBT treatment protocol called Socio-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicidal Behavior (SCBT-SB)

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Socio-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicidal Behavior (SCBT-SB)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The SCBT-SB is a manualized and flexible intervention that uses a modular approach to the treatment of adolescent suicidality. After the first mandatory module (Crisis module), and at the end of each subsequent module, the therapist works with the teen and caregivers to determine the next one. The Crisis Module is fixed and represent the intervention core skills with 9 sessions. The optional coping skills modules include Thoughts, Emotional Regulation, Family Communication, Social Interaction, Activity, Trauma, and Substance Use.

Treatment as Usual

Treatment as usual is base on the standard care for teens and their parents under a community mental health center.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Treatment as Usual

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Therapy that typically consist of eclectic individual therapy including CBT, emphasizing psychoeducation and providing support, with occasional conjoint parent sessions or individual caregiver sessions. The treatment as usual primarily focuses on generating solutions to the adolescent and caregivers most urgent concerns.

Interventions

Socio-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicidal Behavior (SCBT-SB)

The SCBT-SB is a manualized and flexible intervention that uses a modular approach to the treatment of adolescent suicidality. After the first mandatory module (Crisis module), and at the end of each subsequent module, the therapist works with the teen and caregivers to determine the next one. The Crisis Module is fixed and represent the intervention core skills with 9 sessions. The optional coping skills modules include Thoughts, Emotional Regulation, Family Communication, Social Interaction, Activity, Trauma, and Substance Use.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Treatment as Usual

Therapy that typically consist of eclectic individual therapy including CBT, emphasizing psychoeducation and providing support, with occasional conjoint parent sessions or individual caregiver sessions. The treatment as usual primarily focuses on generating solutions to the adolescent and caregivers most urgent concerns.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Latinx, defined as have been born in a Latin country or having at least one biological parent, grandparent or an ancestor that was born in a Latin country
• Severe Suicidal Ideation (SI), defined as a score of 22 or above on the SIQ-JR or having made a Suicide Attempts (SA) within the last 3 months
• Caregivers and adolescents fluent in Spanish or English language and legal guardian willing to participate

Exclusion Criteria

• psychosis
• substance use disorder, rated severe on the DSM-5
• cognitive impairment represented by an IQ below 85

• Minimum Eligible Age: 12 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 17 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Brown University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Bradley Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Yovanska Duarte-Velez, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Bradley Hospital

Locations

Hasbro Children's Hospital (Inpatient Psychiatric Unit)

Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Bradley Hospital

Riverside, Rhode Island, United States

Countries

United States

References

Duarte-Velez Y, Torres-Davila P, Spirito A, Polanco N, Bernal G. Development of a treatment protocol for Puerto Rican adolescents with suicidal behaviors. Psychotherapy (Chic). 2016 Mar;53(1):45-56. doi: 10.1037/pst0000044.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 26928136 (View on PubMed)

Duarte-Velez Y, Jimenez-Colon G, Jones RN, Spirito A. Socio-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Latinx Adolescent with Suicidal Behaviors: A Pilot Randomized Trial. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2024 Jun;55(3):754-767. doi: 10.1007/s10578-022-01439-z. Epub 2022 Oct 1.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 36183051 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

1437564-1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id