Strengthening Family Coping Resources Open Trials



Status:Recruiting
Conditions:Psychiatric, Psychiatric
Therapuetic Areas:Psychiatry / Psychology
Healthy:No
Age Range:1 - 17
Updated:5/6/2018
Start Date:February 2006
End Date:September 30, 2021

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Strengthening Families Coping Resources (SFCR) Open Trials completes the second stage of the
National Institute on Drug Abuse's intervention development model by testing a new family,
skills-based intervention involving pre-post evaluation of families participating in
multi-family groups. The purpose of this study is to gather practice-based evidence on the
effectiveness of the manualized treatment, on the dynamics involved in the group format, and
on implementation fidelity and feasibility. Analyses will involve initial exploration of the
following hypotheses: 1) Families will show a significant increase in the constructive use of
family coping skills and in general family functioning. 2) The target child will show a
reduction in trauma-related symptoms and behavior problems. 3) Families will engage and
participate in the treatment. 4) Providers will implement SFCR with fidelity.

Other outcomes of interest are the process measures that will be collected to monitor
participation in the groups, cultural sensitivity and acceptability, clinician competence,
and intervention integrity.

Strengthening Family Coping Resources (SFCR) is a manualized, trauma-focused, skills-based
intervention that uses a multi-family group format. SFCR is designed for families living in
traumatic contexts with the goal of reducing the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) and other trauma-related disorders in children and adult caregivers. Since most
families living in traumatic contexts contend with on-going stressors and threats, SFCR is
also designed to increase coping resources in children, adult caregivers, and in the family
system to prevent relapse and re-exposure. SFCR provides trauma treatment within a family
format. SFCR includes additional therapeutic strategies designed to improve the family's
ability to cope with on-going stress and threats of re-exposure. Specifically, SFCR builds
the coping resources necessary to help families boost their sense of safety, function with
stability, regulate their emotions and behaviors, and improve communication about and
understanding of the traumas they have experienced. The model includes family work on
storytelling and narration, which builds to a family trauma narrative. SFCR is currently
being implemented at University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), at sites that are part of
the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), and at community agencies within the
Baltimore Metro area and beyond.

500 families will participate in a multifamily version of the intervention. Multiple groups
of 5-6 families will be conducted with pre-post data collected in addition to information on
the feasibility of the intervention. Prior to beginning each group, families will be assessed
using a structured assessment. This assessment will be repeated at the end of group (all
groups) and approximately one year following the completion of the group (for UMMC groups
only).

One child in each family will be designated as the research subject. The target child will be
chosen according to age, aged 1 through 17 years old, and referral for services. If more than
one child in the family meet these criteria, the primary caregiver will be given the option
of how many children s/he would like to be assessed for inclusion in the study. Data on the
parents will only be collected from mothers or female caregivers. If no female caregiver is
available, the primary caregiver will complete the assessments.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Children aged 1 through 17 years old at the time of recruitment

- Child and family exposed to multiple traumas

- a partial diagnosis of PTSD (15-week treatment version)

- currently in the custody of a caregiver who agrees to participate in the study.

- a stable caregiving system as defined by a recent history of stability and unlikely to
change in the next 6 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Children will be excluded only if they have active suicide ideation, an imminent risk
for re-exposure due to their living environment, active psychosis, severe mental
retardation or brain injury

- Parent/caregiver has active psychosis or is a danger to self/others.
We found this trial at
1
site
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Principal Investigator: Laurel J. Kiser, Ph.D.
Phone: 410-706-2490
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Baltimore, MD
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