Description Module

Description Module

The Description Module contains narrative descriptions of the clinical trial, including a brief summary and detailed description. These descriptions provide important information about the study's purpose, methodology, and key details in language accessible to both researchers and the general public.

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Description Module


Ignite Creation Date: 2025-12-24 @ 6:31 PM
Ignite Modification Date: 2025-12-24 @ 6:31 PM
NCT ID: NCT02293057
Brief Summary: Girls in the juvenile justice system have unique developmental pathways to drug use and co-occurring risk (e.g., HIV/STI) behaviors that have typically not been considered or tested in order to identify evidence-based gender-specific substance use treatment approaches for this population. This study will advance scientific knowledge and clinical practice in the drug treatment and public health fields by testing the efficacy of a pre-existing, widely disseminated gender-responsive substance use treatment (VOICES) on drug use and HIV/STI risk behavior outcomes for a broad range of substance using girls and young women (ages 12-24) who are at-risk for or already involved with the justice system.
Detailed Description: Compared to both non-offending females and male offending counterparts, offending girls are at significantly greater risk for the development of substance use disorders, psychiatric symptoms and negative health outcomes, such as HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Research suggests that girls may have different developmental pathways to drug use, initial legal involvement and co-occurring negative health outcomes that support the importance of testing gender-specific treatments for juvenile justice girls. Although there is recent increased emphasis on gender-specific programming in juvenile justice, empirically supported gender specific interventions to improve health, mental health and/or legal outcomes among juvenile justice girls are lacking. The objective of this Stage II treatment trial is therefore to test the efficacy of a pre-existing, widely disseminated gender-responsive drug use treatment (VOICES) among 130 girls who are at-risk for or already involved with the justice system. We seek to test the effect of VOICES on girls' drug and alcohol use, HIV/STI risk, psychiatric symptoms and recidivism as well as explore moderators and mediators of outcomes. Girls and young women, ages 12-24 (N= 6 juveniles for Phase I Intervention Run-Through; N=130 for Phase II RCT study) will be recruited from justice partners (probation, diversion programs) and school partners (high schools/middle schools). Participants will be randomized to either the VOICES (active) intervention (n=65) or a Girl Health (attention control) condition (n=65). In Phase I (first six months of Year 1), 6 juveniles will be recruited to complete the Intervention Run-Through and research assessment once to allow testing of RCT intervention and assessment procedures prior to the RCT phase. In Phase II (last half of Year 1 through Year 4), 130 girls will be recruited and randomized at baseline and then re-assessed at mid-treatment, end of treatment, 3 months and 6 months post-intervention. Biological specimens for juvenile drug use will also be collected at each 3-month assessment. Efficacy trial results can be used to make immediate changes to current widespread program delivery resulting in direct impact on the field of evidence-based gender-responsive substance use interventions for juvenile justice girls and young women.
Study: NCT02293057
Study Brief:
Protocol Section: NCT02293057