TYRO Couples Project Study

Couples Clinical Trial

Official title:

Impact Evaluation of the TYRO Couples Project

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05267236
• Other study ID #: #2021/03/34
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: April 1, 2021
• Est. completion date: August 15, 2025

Study information

• Verified date: October 2023
• Source: Midwest Evaluation & Research
• Contact: Theodore C Jurkiewicz, PhD
• Phone: 3135950088
• Email: ted.jurkiewicz[@]midwestevaluation.com
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

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.

Description:

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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 1658
• Est. completion date: August 15, 2025
• Est. primary completion date: April 1, 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

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

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Couples

Intervention

Other:
• 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 #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.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	The RIDGE Project	McClure	Ohio

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Midwest Evaluation & Research	The RIDGE Project

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (15)

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

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. — View Citation

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.

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

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

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. — View Citation

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.

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

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

Ribar, D. C. (2015). Why marriage matters for child wellbeing. The Future of Children, 25(2), 11-27. doi: https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2015.0010

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.

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. — View Citation

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

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

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.

* Note: There are 15 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Primary Outcome Measure 1: partner relationship behavior	What is the impact of on-demand delivery (treatment) compared to in-person delivery of the TYRO Couples curriculum (control) on partner relationship behaviors one year after enrollment?; 7 survey items measure the reported frequency the respondent engaged in a series of healthy behaviors with a partner using categories on a 7-point partner relationship behavior scale (1 'Never', 2 'Rarely', 3 'Sometimes', 4 'Often', 5 'Always').; Lower scores on all items are positive (ex. - How often do you and your partner disagree about religious matters?)	change from baseline to 12-month follow-up
Secondary	Secondary Outcome Measure 1: partner relationship attitudes	What is the impact of on-demand delivery (treatment) compared to in-person delivery of TYRO Couples curriculum (control) on partner relationship attitudes and expectations one year after enrollment?; 8 survey items measure the reported frequency of agreement with healthy partner relationship attitudes on a 5-point partner relationship attitudes scale (1 'Strongly Disagree', 2 'Disagree', 3 'Neither Agree Nor Disagree', 4 'Agree', 5 'Strongly Agree').; Higher scores on all items are positive (ex. - I want to grow old with my partner.)	change from baseline to 12-month follow-up
Secondary	Secondary Outcome Measure 2: employment attitudes	What is the impact of on-demand delivery (treatment) compared to in-person delivery of the TYRO Couples curriculum (control) on employment attitudes one year after enrollment?; 4 survey items measure the reported frequency of agreement with key co-parenting behaviors using categories on a 5-point scale (1 'Strongly Disagree', 2 'Disagree', 3 'Neither Agree Nor Disagree', 4 'Agree', 5 'Strongly Agree').; Higher scores on 5 items are positive (ex. - I can overcome almost any challenge to get a decent job.)	change from baseline to 12-month follow-up
Secondary	Secondary Outcome Measure 3: healthy financial attitudes	What is the impact of on-demand delivery (treatment) compared to in-person delivery of the TYRO Couples curriculum (control) on financial attitudes one year after enrollment?; 3 survey items measure the reported agreement for key financial attitudes using categories on a 5-point employment attitudes scale (1 'Strongly Disagree', 2 'Disagree', 3 'Neither Agree Nor Disagree', 4 'Agree', 5 'Strongly Agree').; Higher scores on 3 items are negative (ex. - I am overwhelmed when I think about my financial situation.)	change from baseline in behavior to 12-months after program completion