TYRO Couples Project Study

NCT ID: NCT05267236

Last Updated: 2025-09-19

Study Results

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

820 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-04-11

Study Completion Date

2025-08-15

Brief Summary

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This study uses an RCT design with repeated measures to test the impact of two different delivery formats for the TYRO Couples curriculum. Eligible study participants are males or females who are at least 18 years of age and within 9 months of release from incarceration. Incarcerated participants randomly assigned to the treatment group receive the TYRO Couples curriculum in-person, whereas those assigned to the comparison group experience an on-demand format. Study results that show no discernable differences in outcomes between groups will make it easier to serve more participants because service delivery formats can accommodate different life circumstances and preferences.

Detailed Description

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The TYRO Couples curriculum Is based upon the Couples Communication curriculum, and was developed by a Christian, non-profit organization in Ohio called The RIDGE Project. The purpose of TYRO Couples is to provide training and opportunities for participants from families affected by the incarceration of a father to practice healthy relationship skills that build a foundation for healthy and successful marriages and lifelong partnerships. Curriculum components also address healthy financial and employment skills. Previous research suggests the TYRO Couples curriculum is efficacious in increasing skills related to: relationship building, couples communication, conflict resolution, and relationship satisfaction.

Typically, TYRO Couples is delivered in-person in a classroom setting. Using an in-person format results in a more personal, organic experience for participants but it requires a commitment that is difficult for some of them are unable to make because of the time and effort that is necessary to meet in a specific place for a predetermined amount of time. On-line access does not offer the same experience as in-person service delivery, but it does offer greater accessibility for participants to learn at their own pace in a self-directed learning environment of their own choosing. In theory, both formats offer program participants different types of access to service delivery and it is not clear if there is a disparate impact on the educational outcomes that define program benefits, which are improved attitudes, expectations and behaviors that promote healthy family relationships and economic stability for their households.

Testing the delivery format of TYRO Couples is important for several reasons. First, more research is needed to better understand which prison-based learning methods are more effective on marriage/intimate partner relationship and economic stability outcomes. Although there are some previous studies of best practices for prison-based learning, there are no studies, to our knowledge, that examine the effectiveness of on-demand learning on relationship and economic outcomes among couples affected by incarceration. Second, previous studies suggest that on-demand learning can be a helpful tool that empowers learners to digest the course material at their own pace. Learner control is a theory that derives from several motivational theory underpinnings, which includes attribution theory, motivation theory, and information processing theory. Previous research guided by learner control theory suggests that self-guided, on-demand learning is positively related to greater learner satisfaction and higher levels of learning compared with those who did not use this format.

Therefore, it is important that effective, prison-based learning methods are identified and used so that program participants can experience the most robust relationships and economic stability outcomes. Informed by the self-efficacy and learner control theory, the purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which TYRO Couples training delivered in an on-demand format has a disparate impact compared to in-person services on marriage/intimate partner relationships and economic stability outcomes among couples facing incarceration.

Conditions

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Couples

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Treatment vs. Control Group Standard services delivered as primary services to participants in both study groups under a shared condition are: 20 hours of TYRO Dads curricula and 6 hours of Core Communication curricula. Optional services available to both study groups by selecting 1-3 hours of coursework from menu of courses that address a variety of needs.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Treatment-On Demand Format

Treatment group participants receive TYRO Couples curriculum in an on-demand format that is delivered in five 2-hour weekly sessions for a total of 10 hours.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Intervention #1: Treatment Group Receiving On-Demand TYRO Services

Intervention Type OTHER

Treatment group participants receive TYRO Couples curriculum in an on-demand format that is delivered in five 2-hour weekly sessions for a total of 10 hours.

Control-Virtual or In-Person Format

Control group participants receive TYRO Couples curriculum in a live format (virtual or in-person) that is delivered in five 2-hour weekly sessions for a total of 10 hours.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Intervention #2: Control Group Receiving In-Person TYRO Services

Intervention Type OTHER

Control group participants receive TYRO Couples curriculum in a live format (virtual or in-person) that is delivered in five 2-hour weekly sessions for a total of 10 hours.

Interventions

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Intervention #1: Treatment Group Receiving On-Demand TYRO Services

Treatment group participants receive TYRO Couples curriculum in an on-demand format that is delivered in five 2-hour weekly sessions for a total of 10 hours.

Intervention Type OTHER

Intervention #2: Control Group Receiving In-Person TYRO Services

Control group participants receive TYRO Couples curriculum in a live format (virtual or in-person) that is delivered in five 2-hour weekly sessions for a total of 10 hours.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Male or Female Adult (age 18 and older)
* Incarcerated
* Within 9 months of release in OH

Exclusion Criteria

* Minor (under the age of 18)
* Not incarcerated
* Incarcerated but not within 9 months of release in OH
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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The RIDGE Project

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Midwest Evaluation & Research

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Matt D Shepherd, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Midwest Evaluation & Research

Locations

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The RIDGE Project

McClure, Ohio, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Allred, S. L., Harrison, L. D., & O'Connell, D. J. (2013). Self-Efficacy: An important aspect of prison-based learning. The Prison Journal, 93(2), 211 - 233. doi:10.1177/0032885512472964

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Bandura A. Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychol Rev. 1977 Mar;84(2):191-215. doi: 10.1037//0033-295x.84.2.191. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 847061 (View on PubMed)

Chou, S., & Liu, C. (2005). Learning effectiveness in a web-based virtual learning environment: A learner-control perspective. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 21(1), 65 - 76.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Cohen, J. 1988. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd Edition. Routledge.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Foster, H., & Hagan, J. (2009). The Mass Incarceration of Parents in America: Issues of Race/ Ethnicity, Collateral Damage to Children, and Prisoner Reentry. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 623(1), 179-194. doi:10.1177/0002716208331123

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Frisco ML, Muller C, Frank K. Parents' Union Dissolution and Adolescents' School Performance: Comparing Methodological Approaches. J Marriage Fam. 2007 Aug 1;69(3):721-741. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00402.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20300482 (View on PubMed)

Johnson, B., Wubbenhorst, W., Schroeder, C., & Corcoran, K. E. (2014). Stronger Families, Stronger Society: An Analysis of the RIDGE Project, Inc. Baylor University. Waco, TX: Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

La Vigne, N. G., Naser, R., Brooks, L. E., & Castro, J. L. (2005, November). Examining the effect of incarceration and in-prison. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21(4), 314 - 335. doi:10.1177/1043986205281727

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Miller, S. L., Nunnally, E. W., & Wackman, D. B. (1976). A communication training program for couples. Social Casework, 57(1), 9 - 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Manning WD. Cohabitation and Child Wellbeing. Future Child. 2015 Fall;25(2):51-66. doi: 10.1353/foc.2015.0012.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26929590 (View on PubMed)

Shepherd, M. (2011). A statistical Analysis of Client Data from the Keeping Families and Inmates Together in Harmony (Keeping FAITH) Program for the RIDGE Project. Emporia, KS: Midwest Evaluation and Research.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Siennick SE, Stewart EA, Staff J. EXPLAINING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INCARCERATION AND DIVORCE. Criminology. 2014 Aug;52(3):371-398. doi: 10.1111/1745-9125.12040.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25598544 (View on PubMed)

Visher, C. A., Debus-Sherrill, D., & Yahner, J. (2011). Employment after prison: A longitudinal study of former prisoners. Justice Quarterly, 28(5), 698 - 718. doi:10.1080/07418825.2010.535553

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Western B, Braga AA, Davis J, Sirois C. Stress and Hardship after Prison. AJS. 2015 Mar;120(5):1512-47. doi: 10.1086/681301.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26421345 (View on PubMed)

Wildeman, C. (2014). How the criminal justice system shapes social inequality and the capacity of citizens: Parental Incarceration, child homelessness, and the invisible consequences of mass imprisonment. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 651(1), 74-296.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

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#2021/03/34

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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