A School Program for Children Exposed to Violence
This study will develop a program to help school children deal with violence-related trauma.
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Behavioral: School-based cognitive behavioral therapy
|Study Design:||Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:||A School Program for Children Exposed to Violence|
- Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Depressive symptoms
- Behavioral problems
- Improved school and social functioning
- Improved parent-child communication
- Improved peer support
|Study Start Date:||July 2005|
|Study Completion Date:||July 2007|
The number of children who have been indirectly or directly exposed to violence has dramatically increased in the last decade. The emotional and behavioral consequences of violence exposure can be particularly devastating to children. Interventions are needed that can reduce symptoms related to traumas already experienced and enhance children's skills for handling extreme stress that might be experienced in the future. The Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) program was developed between 1998 and 2001 to help children in the Los Angeles school district deal with traumatic events. Although promising, the program required a school-based mental health clinician for implementation. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a program adapted for the Los Angeles CBITS program that can be used by school staff in a middle school setting. The adapted CBITS program will be compared to a wait list to determine which is more effective in reducing trauma-related stress and depression among sixth grade students.
Students who have experienced violence-related trauma will be randomly assigned to receive either 10 weekly sessions of group cognitive behavioral therapy or to wait 3 months. Self-report scales and interviews will be used to assess the emotional states of participants at study entry and study completion. No follow-up visits will be required.
|United States, California|
|LAUSD Crisis Counseling and Intervention Services, LAUSD/RAND/UCLA Trauma Services Adaptation Center|
|Los Angeles, California, United States, 90017|
|Principal Investigator:||Lisa H. Jaycox, PhD||RAND Corporation|