Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength

Purpose

This study will build a partnership with a Community Advisory Board to co-produce, and then pilot test, a theory-guided mental health literacy intervention focused on trauma and substance use. Participants will take part in educational group sessions for 12 weeks and complete assessments at baseline and two follow-up time points (mid-intervention and post-intervention). Intervention participants will be randomly invited to post-study focus groups to gather feedback on their experiences in the program.

Conditions

  • Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders
  • Substance Use

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 35 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Self-identify as Black or African American

2. Be between the ages of 18 and 35 years old

3. Endorse previous lifetime trauma exposure

4. Participants must speak English

5. Participants are capable of giving informed consent and capable of complying with
study procedures.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Other
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
FEELS
Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength
  • Behavioral: Finding Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength
    A group-based, 12-week educational intervention to help promote mental health literacy and related beliefs, especially related to trauma and substance use.

Recruiting Locations

Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies
Piscataway, New Jersey 08854
Contact:
Alexandria G. Bauer
6192443505
alexandria.bauer@rutgers.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Study Contact

Alexandria Bauer, PhD
848-209-1032
alexandria.bauer@rutgers.edu

Detailed Description

This study will enhance mental health literacy (i.e., knowledge and beliefs related to mental health, including recognition, prevention, and management of symptoms) among a sample of young Black adults who have experienced lifetime trauma. The culturally tailored intervention will be guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior and social ecological model as guiding frameworks. Intervention components will be designed to promote behavioral, normative, and control beliefs related to mental health care utilization, with resources to target individual, interpersonal, organizational, and community levels of influence. Following development, the intervention will be piloted among young Black adults, utilizing a single-arm pilot design.