My Life: Evaluation of Self-determination Enhancement for Adolescents in Foster Care

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Mental Disorders

In brief

The purpose of the study is to implement a full-scale efficacy trial of the My Life program. Conducted in partnership with the Oregon DHS Foster Care Program, the impact of the intervention will be being evaluated with a randomized experimental longitudinal design. Two hundred and ten youth, ages 16.5-17.5, will be enrolled in 3 waves, and randomly assigned to either a comparison group that receives typical foster care services or to a treatment group that participates in the key elements of the model, including instruction in self-determination skills, support in leading their own coordinated inter-agency transition planning meetings, and participation in workshops with mentors. Outcomes, including youth self-determination, quality of life, employment, mental health, educational achievement and independent living, are assessed pre-intervention, at the conclusion of intervention, and at 12 months post-intervention. The proposed study will provide important information on the efficacy of the model for all youth exiting the foster care system, yielding unequivocal data on whether enhanced self-determination mediates, at least partially, various outcome areas, including mental health, educational achievement, employment, independent living, and quality of life; evaluating the effect of special education status, gender, and race as moderating influences on the impact of the intervention. Foster care experiences, such as trauma and placement instability, will be considered as covariates; direct effects of the intervention on these key foster care experiences will also be explored.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02113085

Run by

Portland State University

People needed

186

Starts

2012-02-01

Expected to finish

2015-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2020-08-26

Who can join

Age: 17 and older, up to 21. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• between the ages 16.5 to 18.5 years of age
• reside in Multnomah, Washington or Clackamas County, Oregon
• currently in DHS foster care custody and have accumulated at least 90 days in care.

You may not qualify if…

• Youth scheduled to move from Oregon within the next year.
• Youth who represent a safety risk to project staff or other participants
• Youth who experience a profound cognitive disability or are actively psychotic

Where it is running

• Oregon DHS — Portland, Oregon, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.