An interventional study of STEPS and Food for Life in Problem Behavior, sponsored by Rush University Medical Center. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-12-01.
Sponsored by Rush University Medical Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
Aggressive/challenging behaviors in individuals with intellectual disability are a major public health concern for them, their families, their service programs and staff, and their communities. This randomized clinical trial will test the efficacy and cost effectiveness of a preventive community-based social problem solving intervention, the Steps to Effective Problem-solving (STEPS), delivered in group homes. The program uses residential staff participation and the group environment to facilitate improved social problem solving skills and reduce aggressive/challenging behaviors in this population in group homes and work settings.
Aggressive/challenging behaviors (AC/Bs) are a major public health problem for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in group homes. A leading reason for psychiatric hospitalizations and incarcerations, A/CBs are costly to the healthcare system, agencies and families. Social problem solving (SPS) training programs for individuals with ID have had positive behavioral results, but most were conducted in clinical or forensic settings. None were community-based preventive interventions, none examined whether A/CBs decreased in participants' group homes and work settings, and none addressed cost effectiveness. In preliminary work, the investigators modified an effective SPS training program, using input from individuals with ID and residential staff, as a preventive intervention for the group home setting. Steps to Effective Problem-solving (STEPS) includes residential staff and uses the group home environment to facilitate behavior change. The purpose of this clinical trial is to test the efficacy of STEPS for individuals with ID. Specific aims are to 1) Assess the efficacy of the STEPS intervention in group homes to improve SPS skills and reduce A/CBs of the individuals with ID compared to an attention-control nutrition program from baseline to 12, 24 and 36 weeks, controlling for behavioral determinants of A/CBs (demographics, agency/home environment, current health). 2) Assess the mediating effect of the support environment for SPS (residential staff SPS skills, group home level SPS skills, and group cohesiveness) on the improvement of SPS skills and reductions in A/CBs. 3) Evaluate cost effectiveness of STEPS relative to usual care for A/CB incidents in group homes. The investigators expect to show STEPS to be a preventive behavioral strategy to reduce A/CBs among individuals with ID, improve the cost effectiveness of their care and make an important incremental advance in SPS research.
363 studies on the registry are indexed under Intellectual Disability; 103 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 211 is above the median of 53 across 236 interventional studies indexed under Intellectual Disability.
Browse Intellectual Disability studies →Rush University Medical Center is the lead sponsor of 394 studies on the registry; 61 are open to participants now.
Of its 30 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 25 (83%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Inclusion/exclusion criteria
Group home
Inclusion criteria:
Exclusion criteria:
Individual with ID
Inclusion criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Residential staff
Inclusion criteria:
Exclusion criteria:
Experimental: Individuals with ID and residential staff in group homes receive 6 one-hour STEPS sessions over 12 weeks and a booster in week 18 following a standardized manual. Sessions include interactive games to build group cohesiveness, along with interactive discussion and practice. Participants are given session materials and 1-2 worksheets to practice learned skills and are asked to return the worksheets at the next session. Residential staff are given additional materials with tips on how to help residents practice social problem-solving skills between sessions. Highlights of each session using a standardized format are brought to the following session to help with engagement and provide cues for retention of materials.
Behavioral: STEPS
Active Comparator: Individuals with ID and residential staff in group homes receive 6 one-hour Food for Life sessions over 12 weeks and a booster in week 18 following a standardized manual. Sessions include interactive games regarding food and nutrition followed, along with interactive discussion and practice. Participants are given session materials and 1-2 worksheets to practice learned skills and are asked to return the worksheets at the next session. Residential staff are given additional materials with tips on how to help residents practice Food for Life skills between sessions. Highlights of each session using a standardized format are brought to the following session to help with engagement and provide cues for retention of materials.
Behavioral: Food for Life
Agencies providing residential services to individuals with ID gave us letters of agreement (N=9) when we submitted for funding. We randomized these agencies and followed the specific order. Over the past year, recruitment issues have resulted in our only being able to recruit at six of the original nine agencies. To address the issues, we compiled a list of 15 additional local agencies within a 50 mile radius. We are recruiting from an additional six agencies and are in contact with another four. We also changed our recruitment criteria to include co-ed homes. Within each agency we then, (1) determine homes that that meet criteria and, by gender (male, female, co-ed), randomize to STEPS or attention-control condition. Residential staff are consented first. Individuals with ID (or guardians if they have one) are then consented. 18 homes will participate in STEPS.
Agencies providing residential services to individuals with ID gave us letters of agreement (N=9) when we submitted for funding. We randomized these agencies and followed the specific order. Over the past year, recruitment issues have resulted in our only being able to recruit at six of the original nine agencies. To address the issues, we compiled a list of 15 additional local agencies within a 50 mile radius We are recruiting from an additional six agencies and are in contact with another four. We also changed our recruitment criteria to include co-ed homes. Within each agency we then, (1) determine homes that that meet criteria and, by gender (male, female, co-ed), randomize to STEPS or attention-control condition. Individuals with ID and staff are recruited after randomization. Residential staff are consented first. Individuals with ID (or guardians if they have one) are then consented. 18 homes will participate in Food for Life.
The Iowa Family Interactions Rating Scales (IFIRS) Individual-level Problem-solving scales
Change from baseline Individual with ID SPS: Uses a 15-20 minute videotape of a problem-solving interaction of the group of individuals with ID living in the group home and their residential staff to assess individuals with ID SPS skills - solution quantity, solution quality, effective process, disruptive process, and negotiation/compromise at the individual level.
Time frame: Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks
Problem-solving Task (PST)
Change from baseline Individual with ID SPS: Has four questions on each of five problem vignettes that measure individual with ID SPS skills. The vignettes are read by data collectors to the individuals and responses audiotaped.
Time frame: Baseline, 12, and 24 weeks
The IFIRS Dyadic-interaction scales
Change from baseline Individual with ID Behaviors: Uses the same 15-20 minute videotape of a problem-solving interaction to assess individual with ID A/CBs. Items include hostility, verbal attack, physical attack, contempt, etc. (total 22 items) of each individual with ID
Time frame: Baseline, 12 and 24 weeks
General Maladaptive Index
Change from baseline Individual with ID Behaviors: Qualified Intellectual Disability Professionals (QIDPs) at the residential agency and work setting supervisors (sheltered workshops and employment) will be asked to fill out the GMI on participants with ID. The GMI measures the frequency (0 = never to 5 = one or more times an hour) and severity (0 = not serious to 4 = extremely serious) of problem behaviors in eight domains (hurtful to self or others, destructive, disruptive, socially offensive, unusual/repetitive, withdrawn/inattentive, uncooperative).
Time frame: Baseline, 12 and 24 weeks
Agency incident reports
Change from baseline Individual with ID behaviors: Residential staff members fill out incident reports. The reports are reviewed by QIDPs, kept in resident files, and tracked by the agencies. Data will be abstracted from agency tracking records and de-identified. The investigators will analyze counts of incidents for outcomes and summarize descriptive data of key elements of the incident reports.
Time frame: For 24 weeks prior to intervention, 12, 24 and 36 weeks
The Iowa Family Interactions Rating Scales (IFIRS) Individual-level Problem-solving scales
Change from baseline Residential staff SPS (Support environment for Individual with ID). Uses the same 15-20 minute videotape of a problem-solving interaction of the group of individuals with ID living in the group home and their residential staff to assess residential staff SPS skills - solution quantity, solution quality, effective process, disruptive process, and negotiation/compromise at the individual level.
Time frame: Baseline,12 and 24 weeks
Social Problem Solving Inventory Revised - Short form (SPSI-R SF)
Change from baseline Residential staff SPS (Support environment for Individual with ID). The five dimensions of this measure are positive attitude, negative attitude, rational style, impulsive/careless style, and avoidant style.
Time frame: Baseline, 12 and 24 weeks
IFIRS Group Problem-solving Scales
Change from baseline of Group (of individuals with ID and their residential staff) SPS (Support environment for Individual with ID). The scales include problem-solving enjoyment, agreement on problem description/solution, implementation, and problem difficulty for group,
Time frame: Baseline,12 and 24 weeks
Group Environment for the Intervention Scale (GEIS)
Change from baseline of group environment - cohesiveness (Support environment of individual with ID). The GEIS is a 25-item measure of group environments. The three subscales are implementation and preparedness, counter-productive activity, and cohesiveness. The GEIS will be scored using audiotapes from Sessions 1 and 6 by trained research assistants.
Time frame: Week 1 and 12
Life events section of Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with Developmental Disabilities
Change from baseline in A/CB determinant of life events: (17 items 2-recent 1-event 0-never)
Time frame: Baseline, 12 and 24 weeks
Glasgow Depression Scale for People with Learning Disabilities [GDS-LD])
Change from baseline of A/CB determinant depression. The GDS-LD was developed for use among individuals with ID (called "learning disabilities" in the UK). It has a sensitivity ranging from 90-96% and specificity ranging from 83.9-90%, with a score of 13.
Time frame: Baseline, 12 and 24 weeks
Medication management
Background information on psychotropic medications will be gathered from agency records
Time frame: Baseline, 12 and 24 weeks
A/CB incident costs
Compare A/CB incident costs for experimental arm vs. active comparator arm. The investigators will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of STEPS from the societal perspective, taking into account costs borne by the program, group home, health care system, public services, participant, and family. The STEPS experimental arm group will be compared to usual care (active comparator Food for Life) group costs of A/CBs excluding costs of the nutrition intervention). We will calculate the net cost (or net savings) associated with STEPS vs. Food for Life arms, such that the net cost = program-related cost - A/CB incident cost
Time frame: 12-36 weeks
Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.
Plan to share: Yes — The investigators will share aggregated data
Supporting information: Study protocol, Sap, Icf
This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Rush University Medical Center