This indicated prevention intervention trial employs a randomized controlled design to examine the efficacy of a 15-session, culturally tailored, cognitive-behavioral group prevention intervention for urban, low income African American adolescents. The PI successfully adapted the Coping with Stress Course (Clarke et al., 1995) to be culturally sensitive and appropriate for use with urban, low-income African American adolescents. This culturally-adapted intervention (i.e., the Adapted-Coping with Stress Course [Robinson & Case, 2003]) will be significantly revised to enhance individual competencies believed to mitigate the risk for self-directed (i.e., suicidality) and inter-personal aggression. n addition, the proposed study aims to examine how neighborhood and family ecological characteristics moderate the effects of a culturally-adapted, cognitive-behavioral coping with stress prevention intervention on African American adolescents' self-directed (i.e., suicidality) and interpersonal aggression. This study is expected to have broad public health implications toward the reduction of African American youth health disparities and inform practice and policy on the development of effective violence prevention interventions for African American youth. It is expected that this study will inform a future large scale effectiveness study that will embed an evidence-based, culturally sensitive violence prevention intervention within a large urban school system.

Public Health Relevance

This study is transformative and will provide vital knowledge pertaining to the understanding and prevention of African American youth violence, both self-directed and interpersonal. In addition to examining the efficacy of a culturally sensive prevention intervention, the proposed study aims to examine how neighborhood and family ecological characteristics moderate the effects of the culturally-adapted, cognitive-behavioral coping with stress prevention intervention. This study is expected to have broad public health implications toward the reduction of African American youth health disparities.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
4R01HD072293-04
Application #
9045677
Study Section
Psychosocial Development, Risk and Prevention Study Section (PDRP)
Program Officer
Esposito, Layla E
Project Start
2013-07-05
Project End
2018-04-30
Budget Start
2016-05-01
Budget End
2017-04-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
De Paul University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
045694130
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60604
Robinson, W LaVome; Case, Mary H; Whipple, Christopher R et al. (2016) Culturally Grounded Stress Reduction and Suicide Prevention for African American Adolescents. Pract Innov (Wash D C) 1:117-128
Robinson, W LaVome; Droege, Jocelyn R; Case, Mary H et al. (2015) Reducing Stress and Preventing Anxiety in African American Adolescents: A Culturally- Grounded Approach. Glob J Community Psychol Pract 6: