Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

Teenagers in mental health treatment are at greater risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. This greater risk comes from many factors, some of which are related to poor emotion regulation and low self-confidence. There is a need for an HIV prevention program specifically for these at-risk teens. The goal of this study is to develop a computerized HIV prevention study tailored to adolescents in mental health treatment. The first part of the study will develop core sessions of D*STAR. It will do this by using focus group feedback from approximately 15 adolescents in mental health treatment, and approximately 10 parents of youth in mental health treatment and mental health treatment center staff. Feedback on D*STAR prototype sessions will also be collected from two individual interviews with approximately 15 youth in mental health treatment. Core sessions will then be reviewed in an open trial with approximately 30 adolescents.

The second part of the study will develop and refine digital versions of the remaining sessions of STAR and a digital general health promotion intervention. It will do this by using focus group feedback from approximately 20 adolescents in mental health treatment, and approximately 10 community advisory board members which include variety of staff from mental health treatment settings such as administrators, supervisors, therapists, health teachers at therapeutic schools, clinicians at day hospitals and day treatment programs, parents of youth in mental health treatment and from relevant community organizations, such as those serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. Feedback on D*STAR prototype sessions will also be collected from two individual interviews with approximately 20 youth in mental health treatment. All developed sessions (from both Phase I and Phase II) will then be reviewed in an open trial with approximately 20 adolescents. A randomized control trial (RCT) will then be conducted to compare D*STAR to a time matched digital general health promotion intervention among approximately 120 adolescents. For the pilot and RCT phases, assessments will be administered prior to randomization, immediately following the last intervention session, and at one month post-intervention (pilot study) or at three month post-intervention (RCT).


Clinical Trial Description

Adolescents in mental health treatment are at greater risk for HIV and other STIs than their peers due to an earlier age of onset of sex, less protected sex, more sexual partners, and more frequent substance use. The numerous adolescents who receive mental health treatment do so in a variety of settings such as day hospital programs, therapeutic schools and residential centers. These programs offer a variety of health services but there is no efficacious HIV prevention program specifically tailored for the issues of youth in mental health treatment, other than the one described in this project. STAR ("Safe Thinking and Affect Regulation"). The goal of this SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Fast-Track project is to transform STAR into an engaging digital, multimedia format, Digital STAR (D*STAR), for easy and reliable use by care agencies that serve adolescents in mental health treatment. To transform this intervention, Virtually Better, a company with a successful history of production and distribution of cutting-edge technological interventions, has teamed with the research developers of STAR at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University. During the two phases of this Fast-Track project, digital session development will be accomplished by an iterative process of feedback and refinement between Virtually Better, the developers of STAR, adolescents in mental health treatment, and a Community Advisory Board.

Phase 1: Specific Aims A. To develop and refine digital versions of core sessions of STAR that introduce affect regulation and cognitive monitoring in sexual situations, and provide basic sexual health skills and education. These sessions represent essential content areas and modalities of the D*STAR intervention.

B. To conduct focus groups of the feasibility, utility, and acceptability of the planned sessions. There will be focus groups with approximately 10 Community Advisory Board (CAB) members comprised of parents of youth in mental health treatment and mental health treatment staff. There will also be focus groups with approximately 15 adolescents in mental health treatment (13-18 years old) .

C. To conduct two qualitative interview sessions of approximately 15 youth with mental health treatment to determine the acceptability of the session's prototypes and revise based on feedback.

D. To conduct an open trial of D*STAR sessions with approximately 30 adolescents to determine its preliminary impact with self-report assessments at baseline and then 1 month post intervention.

Phase 2: Specific Aims A. To develop and refine digital versions the remaining sessions of STAR and a digital general health promotion (HP) intervention, building upon the essential content areas and refinements developed in Phase I.

B. To conduct qualitative evaluations of the feasibility, utility, and acceptability of D*STAR and the digital HP intervention with adolescents in mental health treatment, our Community Advisory Board (CAB), and mental health treatment center staff.

Hypothesis: Both digital interventions (HP and D*STAR) will be rated by youth, our CAB, and mental health treatment center staff as enjoyable, useful and easy to implement.

C. To conduct a randomized control trial of D*STAR compared to the time matched digital HP intervention among 120 adolescents ages 13 to 18 in mental health treatment.

Hypothesis: Participants in D*STAR will report safer sexual behaviors, greater HIV knowledge and greater self-efficacy for HIV prevention skills than participants in digital HP at three months follow-up. ;


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT02921841
Study type Interventional
Source Rhode Island Hospital
Contact
Status Completed
Phase N/A
Start date November 2016
Completion date July 2019

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Terminated NCT03516318 - Using Social Media to Improve ART Retention and Treatment Outcomes Among YLHIV in Nigeria N/A
Completed NCT04653194 - Efficacy of BIC/F/TAF Versus Standard of Care in the Treatment of New HIV Infection Diagnoses in the Context of 'Test and Treat' Phase 3
Completed NCT01792570 - DRV/r + RPV QD: Efficacy and Toxicity Reduction Phase 3
Active, not recruiting NCT04826562 - Switch to DOVATO in Patients Suppressed on Biktarvy (SOUND) Phase 4
Completed NCT04191967 - Thermocoagulation for Treatment of Precancerous Cervical Lesions N/A
Completed NCT02812329 - Intervention to Encourage HIV Testing and Counseling Among Adolescents Phase 1
Completed NCT02919306 - Safety and Efficacy Study of Vaccine Schedule With Ad26.Mos.HIV and MVA-Mosaic in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-Infected Adults Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed NCT02516930 - A Non-inferiority Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate Promoting Condom Use Among MSM and Transgender Individuals in China N/A
Completed NCT02651376 - Safety and Efficacy of Allogenic Adoptive Immune Therapy for Advanced AIDS Patients Phase 1/Phase 2
Recruiting NCT02392884 - HIV Medication Adherence in Underserved Populations N/A
Completed NCT01944371 - Short-term Disulfiram Administration to Reverse Latent HIV Infection: a Dose Escalation Study Phase 1/Phase 2
Recruiting NCT01778374 - Mater-Bronx Rapid HIV Testing Project. N/A
Completed NCT00914225 - Effect of Bednets and a Water Purification Device on HIV Disease Progression Among ART naïve Patients in Kenya N/A
Completed NCT01460433 - Problems With Immune Recovery in the Gut Tissue N/A
Completed NCT01076179 - Kaletra in Combination With Antiretroviral Agents N/A
Completed NCT01490346 - Tissue Drug Levels of HIV Medications N/A
Completed NCT00317460 - Buprenorphine and Integrated HIV Care Phase 4
Terminated NCT04240210 - Integrase Regimen Switch to Symtuza to Increase Tolerability/Adherence (SYMita) Phase 4
Active, not recruiting NCT04704336 - Integration of Hypertension Management Into HIV Care in Nigeria N/A
Completed NCT03254277 - 3BNC117-LS First-in-Human Phase 1 Study Phase 1