Building Social and Structural Connections for the Prevention of Opioid Use Disorder Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness

Launched by OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · Mar 13, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying ways to help young people who are experiencing homelessness and struggling with substance use, especially opioid misuse. The goal is to understand how different support strategies can improve their mental health and overall well-being. Researchers will work with youth aged 14 to 24 at a drop-in center, where they will be randomly assigned to one of four groups to receive various types of support, including counseling and advocacy services. Over the course of two years, their progress will be monitored to see how well these different approaches work.

To participate, young people must meet specific criteria for homelessness as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act, meaning they lack a stable place to stay. They should also be able to speak English well enough to take part in the study. Participants can expect to engage in supportive activities that aim to reduce substance use and improve mental health, with assessments happening at several points throughout the study to track their progress. This trial aims to gather important information that could help improve support services for homeless youth in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Youth must meet the criteria for homelessness as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act: children and youth who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; or live in a welfare hotel, or place without regular sleeping accommodations, or live in a shared residence with other persons due to the loss of one's housing or economic hardship
• • Must speak english adequately to complete measures
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Youth who have a stable housing situation.
• • Non-English speaker