Commentary Regarding Johnson et al. (2017) “A Randomized Controlled Evaluation of a Secondary School Mindfulness Program for Early Adolescents: Do We Have the Recipe Right Yet?”

Background “POD Adventures” is a gamified mental health intervention delivered via a smartphone app and supported by counsellors for a target population of secondary school students in India. This paper describes the protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial of a remotely delivered version of the intervention in the context of COVID-19 restrictions. Objective Our objectives are to assess the feasibility of research procedures and intervention delivery and to generate preliminary estimates of the effectiveness of the intervention to inform the sample size calculation of a full-scale trial. Methods We will conduct a parallel, 2-arm, individually randomized pilot controlled trial in 11 secondary schools in Goa, India. This pilot trial aims to recruit 70 participants with a felt need for psychological support. Participants will receive either the POD Adventures intervention delivered over 4 weeks or usual care comprising information about local mental health services and national helplines. Outcomes will be assessed at two timepoints: baseline and 6 weeks post randomization. Results The first participant was enrolled on January 28, 2021, and 6-week assessment completed on April 4, 2021. Owing to a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, schools in Goa were closed on April 22, 2021. Trial participants are currently receiving the intervention or completing follow-up assessments. Conclusions This pilot trial will help understand the feasibility of implementing and evaluating a remotely delivered digital mental health intervention in a low-resource setting. Our findings will be used to design future trials that can address difficulties of accessing psychosocial support in-person and support wider efforts to scale up evidence-based mental health interventions for young people. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04672486; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04672486 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/30339

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The design of instructional tools affects secondary school students’ learning of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in reciprocal peer learning: A randomized controlled trial

Resuscitation ◽

10.1016/j.resuscitation.2013.06.023 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 84 (11) ◽

pp. 1591-1595 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Peter Iserbyt ◽

Mark Byra

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ◽

Secondary School ◽

Secondary School Students ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Peer Learning ◽

School Students ◽

Instructional Tools ◽

Randomized Controlled

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Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a Serious Game Targeting Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in Early Adolescents

10.21203/rs.3.rs-494085/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gloria Mittmann ◽

Sonja Zehetmayer ◽

Beate Schrank

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Peer Relationships ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Early Adolescents ◽

Serious Game ◽

Positive Interactions ◽

Control Group ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Interpersonal Emotion Regulation

Abstract Background: Adaptive interpersonal emotion regulation (iER) is a vital tool for positive relations. During early adolescence, peer relations become increasingly important, making this age group a relevant target group for interventions promoting positive interactions with each other, yet no evidence-based intervention exists for early adolescents specifically.Methods: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to test effectiveness and feasibility of a serious game training iER skills in early adolescents by comparing outcomes with a control group playing a game without psychoeducational content in a pre- and post-test design. German- and English-speaking early adolescents (10-14 years) are eligible for participation. IER skills improvement as assessed by a vignette task is the primary outcome and will be analysed with a chi-square test. Secondary outcomes include feasibility and acceptability, emotional competence, personal emotion regulation, gender, and sex.Discussion: This RCT will test whether playing a serious game about iER strategies results in an improvement of iER skills and whether the game is feasible and acceptable for early adolescents with the ultimate aim to implement the game in schools and help early adolescents achieve positive peer relationships.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04808102, Registered 19 March 2021, https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/

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Maternal Affection Moderates the Associations Between Parenting Stress and Early Adolescents’ Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior

The Journal of Early Adolescence ◽

10.1177/0272431619833490 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 221-248 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gintautas Silinskas ◽

Noona Kiuru ◽

Kaisa Aunola ◽

Riitta-Leena Metsäpelto ◽

Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Primary School ◽

Parenting Stress ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Early Adolescents ◽

Moderating Effect ◽

Internalizing Behavior ◽

Lower Secondary School

The present study investigated the role of parenting stress in early adolescents’ externalizing and internalizing behavior and, particularly, the moderating effect of maternal affection on these associations. The data of 992 early adolescents ([Formula: see text]; 454 girls) and their mothers during the transition from primary school to lower secondary school were analyzed. The results showed that when maternal affection was low, parenting stress was not related to the changes in early adolescents’ externalizing or internalizing behavior. In contrast, when maternal affection was high, low parenting stress related to a decrease and high parenting stress to an increase in such behavior. The results were statistically significant and stronger for internalizing behavior; for externalizing behavior, they were marginally significant but showed the same pattern. Overall, the results support the idea that maternal affection provides a context which intensifies (rather than ameliorates) the influence of parenting stress on early adolescents’ externalizing and internalizing behavior.

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