Document text
Principal Investigator: Christopher D. Houck
Organization: KLEIN BUENDEL, INC.
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $938,856
Funding agency: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Internet-based TRAC (i-TRAC): Interactive Emotion Regulation Skills Training to Improve Adolescent
Sexual Health
Adolescence is a critical developmental period during which behavioral patterns are formed that have powerful
influences on current and future health. This is particularly true for sexual behavior, which is affected by the
biological changes of puberty as well as normative developmental tasks around sexual exploration. Engaging
in sexual behavior in early adolescence (before age 15) is associated with more partners, less condom use,
and more frequent sex as teens get older, and these factors increase risk for negative health outcomes (e.g.,
sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy) throughout their lives. Many sexual health interven-
tions teach prevention skills, such as assertiveness or condom use; the premise of the current application is
that these skills are often unused by adolescents because of deficits in emotion regulation (ER), which is un-
addressed in most sexual health education. Our research team has developed and tested a novel, engaging,
efficacious, and developmentally tailored group intervention (Project TRAC) to teach ER skills to early adoles-
cents within the context of sexual health. A study of Project TRAC showed that participants taught ER skills
were less likely to start having sex over the 2.5 year follow up. While efficacious, the small group format of the
program presents barriers to sustainability and dissemination; significant advantages of web-based delivery
exist. To explore whether the ER concepts of TRAC could be taught in a web-based format, we completed a
pilot study to translate TRAC's ER content to a web-based intervention (iTRAC), using Designing for Dissemi-
nation principles that enhance the likelihood of successful dissemination upon completion. iTRAC demonstrat-
ed feasibility and acceptability, and a randomized trial showed that iTRAC participants reported significantly
better emotional competence compared to waitlist control participants. The proposed Fast Track project will
complete the technology adaptation of the program to include its sexual health content and content linking ER
to sexual health. This adaptation (iTRAC for Sexual Risk Prevention; iTRAC-SRP), using well-established the-
oretical frameworks, will be approached with advisory boards of school professionals and early adolescents,
leading to prototypes of the completed intervention in Phase 1. Phase 2 will include the creation of the remain-
ing digital intervention, an acceptability trial, and a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 120 early adolescents
(12-14 years) comparing iTRAC-SRP to a waitlist control. This project represents innovation in adolescent
sexual health; its implementation has great potential for sustainability and accessibility.
Terms: <10th grade><12-20 years old><18 year old><18 years of age><AIDS Virus><Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Virus><Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus><Active Follow-up><Address><Adolescence><Adolescent><Adolescent Risk Behavior><Adolescent Youth><Affect><Age><Assertiveness><Attention><Awareness><Behavioral><Biological><Cognition><Coitus><Collaborations><Competence><Data><Decision Making><Development><Education><Educational aspects><Educational process of instructing><Emotional><Emotions><Exhibits><Feedback><Female><Female Adolescents><Future><HIV><Health><Health Care Professional><Health Instruction><Health Professional><Health Promotion><Health Tutoring><Health behavior change><Health education><Healthcare professional><History><Hospitals><Human Immunodeficiency Viruses><Internet><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Interview><LAV-HTLV-III><Link><Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus><Male Adolescents><Marketing><Measures><Mediating><Methods><On-Line Systems><Online Systems><Outcome><Parents><Participant><Patient Self-Report><Pattern><Performance><Persons><Phase><Pilot Projects><Preventative intervention><Prevention><Professional Education><Puberty><Public Health><Randomization trial><Randomized><Randomized, Controlled Trials><Recording of previous events><Reporting><Research><Rhode Island><Risk><STTR><Salutogenesis><Schools><Self Efficacy><Self-Report><Sex Behavior><Sex Education><Sexual Activity><Sexual Behavior><Sexual Health><Sexual Intercourse><Sexually Transmitted Diseases><Sexually Transmitted Disorder><Sexually Transmitted Infection><Small Business Technology Transfer Research><System><Tablets><Teaching><Technology><Teen><Teenagers><Testing><Time><Training><Translating><Translations><Unplanned pregnancy><Venereal Diseases><Venereal Disorders><Venereal Infections><Virus-HIV><WWW><Waiting Lists><Work><Youth><Youth 10-21><Youth Risk Behavior><academic pathway><academic standard><acceptability and feasibility><active followup><adolescence (12-20)><adolescent boy><adolescent girl><adolescent health><adolescent risk taking><adolescent sexual health><after-school program><afterschool program><age 18 years><ages><behavior change><biologic><community advisory board><community advisory committee><community advisory panel><community partners><community-based partners><comparator group><comparison group><condoms><critical developmental period><delay in sexual initiation><delivered on-line><delivered online><design><designing><determine efficacy><developmental><digital><digital intervention><disease prevention><disorder prevention><distress tolerance><early adolescence><educational standard><efficacious intervention><efficacy analysis><efficacy assessment><efficacy determination><efficacy evaluation><efficacy examination><eighteen year old><eighteen years of age><emotion regulation><emotional factor><emotional regulation><evaluate efficacy><examine efficacy><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><group intervention><health communication><health in school><health knowledge><high risk behavior><high school sophomore><histories><improved><innovate><innovation><innovative><internet-based intervention><intervention for prevention><interventional strategy><juvenile><juvenile human><juvenile sexual health><male><new approaches><novel><novel approaches><novel strategies><novel strategy><on-line delivery><online computer><online delivery><parent><pilot study><prevent><preventing><prevention intervention><preventional intervention strategy><preventive intervention><programs><promoting health><prototype><randomisation><randomization><randomized control trial><randomized trial><randomly assigned><risk behavior in youth><school health><sex><sex activity><sex education curriculum><sexual activities><sexual health intervention><sexual initiation delay><sexual risk taking><sexually acquired infection><skills><skills training><social><technological innovation><teen years><teenage><tenth grade><translation><unintended pregnancy><uptake><waitlist><web><web based><web based delivery><web-based intervention><world wide web>