Stanford University
Victor Carrion
In the last four years alone, residents of Puerto Rico have experienced a slew of natural disasters including Hurricane Maria in 2017, earthquakes in 2019 and 2020, the continued COVID-19 pandemic from 2020-2022, and most recently Hurricane Fiona. This series of distressing events can lead to an increased need for mental health resources and trauma treatment. Furthermore, the unique single-district structure of the Puerto Rican education system allows for the efficient dissemination of potential interventions and treatment to all students. The purpose of this study is to examine two treatment conditions for educators and school-aged children in Puerto Rico experiencing burnout, fatigue, and high stress: delivery of a mindfulness-based educator curriculum and, for children who report Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, delivery of the mindfulness curriculum with the additional intervention of Cue-Centered Therapy (CCT). The study has two aims: 1) To assess the efficacy of the mindfulness curriculum and of CCT in a population of students, counselors, and teachers, characterized by high stress over the last few years of natural disasters and pandemic challenges and 2) To identify genetic contributions to resilience by analyzing gene expression in students before and after the intervention. The overarching goals of the investigators' research collaboration are to improve educators' psychological well-being and children's socioemotional development when faced with high stress and adversity and to improve mental health clinicians' competence and confidence in treating children exposed to trauma by training them in CCT. The investigators' research will identify critical biopsychosocial components responsible for the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional improvement and effective implementation strategies in a large but geographically dispersed school district. The knowledge base that will result from this study will inform the implementation of trauma-informed care in school settings and with populations experiencing stress and adversity, and contribute to the investigators' understanding of the underlying biology of these interventions to provide a rationale for further development and dissemination.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Stress
Burn Out
Mental Health Issue
Start with the Heart Students
Start with the Heart Teachers
Cue Centered Therapy Counselors
Cue Centered Therapy Students
iSWAB-DNA
Not Applicable
Study Type : | Interventional |
Estimated Enrollment : | 80800 participants |
Masking : | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose : | Treatment |
Official Title : | Building Resilience at Schools: Emotional and Biological Assessment and Treatment of Traumatic Stress |
Actual Study Start Date : | February 23, 2024 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | May 2025 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | May 2026 |
Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Mindfulness Curriculum Participants will undergo a mindfulness curriculum in the classroom for 6-8 weeks and complete surveys before the start and after completion. |
Behavioral: Start with the Heart Students |
Experimental: Teachers Participants will be trained in the mindfulness curriculum and implement it in the classroom for 6-8 weeks. They will complete surveys before training and after implementation. |
Behavioral: Start with the Heart Teachers |
Experimental: Counselors Participants will be trained in Cue-Centered Therapy and implement the treatment with student clients for 15-18 weeks. They will complete surveys before training and after 3 months after the start of implementation. |
Behavioral: Cue Centered Therapy Counselors |
Experimental: CCT Participants that report PTSD symptomatology during the mindfulness curriculum surveys will be eligible to participate in Cue-Centered Therapy treatment for 15-18 weeks. They will complete surveys before and after treatment. |
Behavioral: Cue Centered Therapy Students |
Other: iSWAB-DNA Students that give prior consent to participating in DNA buccal swabs and the mindfulness curriculum are randomly selected to give buccal swabs prior to and after the mindfulness curriculum intervention. A subset of those students that qualify for CCT will give another buccal swab after CCT completion. DNA will be sent to Dr. Urban's lab for analysis of genetic resilience markers. |
Behavioral: Start with the Heart Students |
Ages Eligible for Study: | 11 Years to 17 Years |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Accepts Healthy Volunteers |
Want to participate in this study, select a site at your convenience, send yourself email to get contact details and prescreening steps.
Not yet recruiting
Stanford University
Palo Alto, California, United States, 94305
Recruiting
Sor Isolina Ferre Centers
San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00926