Confirmatory Efficacy of the Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills Program

Confirmatory Efficacy of the Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills Program for Low-income and Minoritized Young Adolescents

The goal of this clinical trial is to the efficacy of the Building a Strong Identity and Coping Skills intervention within a sample of low-income and minoritized youth aged 11-14 who are seeking mental health treatment and have been placed on a waitlist to receive services. The aims of this study are to: (1) confirm the efficacy of BaSICS by replicating previous findings, (2) Examine the changes of coping mechanisms and symptom change over the course of the BaSICS intervention, and (3) test models of physiologic stress reactivity and regulation to capture biological "risk" and recalibration. Cohorts of 20 participants will randomly be enrolled in either the intervention (10), control Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) (5), or control (5) groups. Participants enrolled in the intervention group will complete the BaSICS program and participants enrolled in the no intervention group will not be enrolled in the intervention program. The BaSICS program is designed to help treat anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms and disorders and have direct effects on physiologic stress response systems (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis). Researchers will compare the intervention and no intervention groups to see if there is a difference in the reduction of internalizing symptoms, changes in coping mechanism, and HPA reactivity profiles

Intervention = Building a String Identity and Coping Skills (BaSICS). Children randomized to participate in 16 twice weekly BaSICS intervention sessions. Children learn coping skills, identity development, and collective action as ways to buffer against chronic stress. These children also complete pre- and post-intervention assessments, as well as 6-month and 12-month follow-up assessments. During their enrollment in the study, children will also complete EMA assessments.

These children complete assessments only--timed to coincide with the intervention groups' assessments: pre- and post-intervention assessments, as well as 6-month and 12-month follow-up assessments. Children will also complete EMA assessments. No intervention.

These children complete assessments only--timed to coincide with the intervention groups' assessments: pre- and post-intervention assessments, as well as 6-month and 12-month follow-up assessments. Children will not complete EMA assessments. No intervention.

Psychoeducational program to teach children coping skills, healthy identity development, and collective social action

Reduction in total internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) reported by parents on the Child Behavior Checklist

Reduction in total internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) reported by parents on the Child Behavior Checklist

Reduction in total internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) reported by parents on the Child Behavior Checklist

Changes in the number of coping skills that children can report during the Coping Skills interview protocol

Changes in the number of coping skills that children can report during the Coping Skills interview protocol

Changes in the number of coping skills that children can report during the Coping Skills interview protocol

Inclusion Criteria: Children ages 11-14 at intake Family income at or below 200% federal poverty level Child speaks English Parent speaks English or Spanish Exclusion Criteria: Intellectual disability Autism spectrum disorder High suicidal risk (score of 17 or more on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-Kid)) Severe depression (score of 19 or more on Patient health questionnaire (PHQ).

All data produced in the course of the project will be preserved and shared after de-identification. Item level spreadsheet data for all variables will be shared openly once cleaned. Data will be deposited into the National Institute of Mental Health Data Archive.