An interventional study of Teen Connection Project (TCP) in Recreational Drug Use, Sexual Violence and Victimisation, sponsored by University of Michigan. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 14 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-22.
Sponsored by University of Michigan · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
The purpose of this project is to develop and evaluate an online mentoring and skill-building program for transgender and/or gender minority youth (TGMY) ages 14 to 18, the Teen Connection Project (TCP). The TCP includes seven 90-minute sessions facilitated by transgender and/or gender minority (TGM) adults (who are also mentors). TGMY will be paired with a TGM adult mentor, based on their shared interests. Mentors and mentees will participate together in each session along with other mentors and mentees. Mentors will direct activities and discussion to promote TGMY social-emotional skills. The TCP sessions will include one-on-one mentor-mentee break-out sessions.
Transgender and/or gender minority youth (TGMY) (i.e., any identity other than cisgender) experience concerning rates of mental health problems, self-harm, alcohol and drug use, sexual risk-taking, and violence victimization and perpetration. Minority stress theory states that peer and family rejection and internalized transphobia predict negative health outcomes in TGMY. This highlights the urgent need to identify effective programs that prevent psychosocial and behavioral health issues among TGMY. Mentoring programs may be especially impactful for TGMY, given that these programs may help alleviate adverse outcomes associated with peer and family rejection, and promote self-acceptance among TGMY. However, few mentoring programs exist specifically for TGMY, and those that do have not been rigorously evaluated; often require guardian permission; generally occur in person via community organizations--which excludes TGMY in high stigma, rural areas of the United States from participating; and rarely include evidence-based skill-building components (e.g., social-emotional skills).
The specific aims of this trial are as follow:
The purpose of this project is to develop and evaluate an online mentoring and skill-building program for transgender and/or gender minority youth (TGMY) ages 14 to 18, the Teen Connection Project (TCP). The TCP includes seven 90-minute sessions facilitated by transgender and/or gender minority (TGM) adults (who are also mentors). TGMY will be paired with a TGM adult mentors, based on their shared interests. Mentors and mentees will participate together in each session, along with other mentors and mentees. Mentors will direct activities and discussion to promote TGMY social-emotional skills. The TCP sessions will include one-on-one mentor-mentee break-out sessions.
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Inclusion Criteria for Youth:
Exclusion Criteria for Youth:
Inclusion Criteria for Mentors:
Exclusion Criteria for Mentors:
The Teen Connection Project (TCP) is theoretically grounded, and follows best practices for effective health behavior prevention. It includes seven 90-minute sessions with group and one-on-one mentoring components. The intervention is facilitated by transgender and/or gender minority adults (i.e., any identity other than cisgender).
Behavioral: Teen Connection Project (TCP)
Provide check-ins, provide resources, and offer program after intervention and measurement has been completed.
Mentors complete a two-day training and post-training survey, facilitate programming, and complete post-session surveys. A subset of the mentors will complete exit interviews.
The Teen Connection Project (TCP) includes seven 90-minute sessions facilitated by transgender and/or gender minority (TGM) adults. Each transgender and/or gender minority youth (TGMY) will be paired with a TGM adult mentor based on TGMYs' rank-ordered preference for mentors. The research team seeks to match mentors \& mentees such that each TGMY is matched with one of their top 3 preferred mentors. Mentors and mentees participate together in each session along with other mentors \& mentees. Facilitators direct activities/discussion to promote TGMY social-emotional skills acquisition and facilitate mentor-mentee conversations. TCP sessions also include mentor-mentee breakout sessions where mentors share challenges they personally faced as TGMY and how they overcame them. Break-out discussions focus on self-acceptance, coming out, dating questions, hopes and goals for the future, \& how other marginalized social identities, such as race and ethnicity, intersect with identifying as TGMY.
Also known as: TCP
Alcohol Use (Youth-reported)
Youth Risk Behavior Survey Questionnaire (YRBSS). Minimum Value = 0, Maximum Value = 6, Higher scores = worse outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Drug Use (Youth-reported)
YRBSS. Minimum Value = 0, Maximum Value = 5, Higher scores = worse outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Sexual Risk-Taking (Youth-reported)
Researcher-created items, adapted items with input from a youth advisory board from, YRBSS, and Sexual Risk Taking Survey. Minimum Value = 1, Maximum Value = 7, Higher scores = worse outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Dating and Sexual Violence (DSV) victimization-1 (Youth-reported)
Measure of Adolescent Relationship Harassment and Abuse (MARSHA). Minimum Value = 0, Maximum Value = 3, Higher scores = worse outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
DSV perpetration-1 (Youth-reported)
MARSHA. Minimum Value = 0, Maximum Value = 3, Higher scores = worse outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
DSV victimization-2 (Youth-reported)
CTS-2: SGM-Specific Intimate partner Violence (IPV) Tactics Scale \[CTS = Conflict Tactics Scale, SGM = sexual and gender minority\]. Minimum Value = 0, Maximum value = 3, Higher scores = worse outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
DSV perpetration-2 (Youth-reported)
CTS-2: SGM-Specific IPV Tactics Scale. Minimum Value = 0, Maximum Value = 3, Higher scores = Worse outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Depressive symptoms (Youth-reported)
Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-9). Minimum Value = 0, Maximum Value = 3, Higher scores = Worse outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Anxiety symptoms (Youth-reported)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7). Minimum Value = 0, Maximum Value = 3, Higher scores = Worse outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Suicidality (Youth-reported)
Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS). Minimum Value = 0, Maximum Value = 10, Higher scores = Better outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Social-Emotional Competence (Youth-reported)
Social-Emotional Competence Questionnaire (SEC-Q). Minimum Value = 1, Maximum Value = 6, Higher scores = Better outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Gender Minority Stress (Youth-reported)
Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Scale (adolescent extension version). Minimum Value = 1, Maximum Value = 5, Higher scores = Worse outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Outness (Youth-reported)
Nebraska Outness Scale, Minimum Value = 0, Maximum Value = 100, Higher scores = Better outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Positive Identity (Youth-reported)
Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Positive Identity Measure. Minimum Value = 1, Maximum Value = 7, Higher scores = Better outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
Hope for the Future (Youth-reported)
Feelings about being LGBTQIA2+. Minimum Value = 1, Maximum Value = 4, Higher scores = Better outcomes
Time frame: Time 1 (baseline, pre-intervention), Time 2 (immediately post-intervention), Time 3 (3 months post-intervention)
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Plan to share: Yes — This data will not be shared publicly. However, the PI intends to share the aggregated, de-identified quantitative survey data if users commit to the following: (a) using the data only for research purposes and not to identify any individual participant; (b) securing the data using appropriate computer technology; and (c) destroying or returning the data after analyses are completed. If the researcher agrees, in writing, to these stipulations, the PI will send them (via a link to a secure UNL OneDrive folder) the dataset prepared using SPSS (latest version available).
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Analytic code
Time frame: Data will become available in December of 2025. It will be available for 7 years until December of 2032.
Access criteria: The PI intends to share the aggregated, de-identified quantitative survey data if users commit to the following: (a) using the data only for research purposes and not to identify any individual participant; (b) securing the data using appropriate computer technology; and (c) destroying or returning the data after analyses are completed. If the researcher agrees, in writing, to these stipulations, the PI will send him/her the dataset prepared using SPSS 24.0 (or the latest version available). The prepared data set will not include identifying information from any participant. The master list will be destroyed as soon as participants' data are linked across time. Research participants will be identified by number. A detailed codebook will be prepared and supplied with the data indicating information about each variable as well as how composite scale scores are calculated. The syntax for any data imputations will also be provided.
This study is completed, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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