A Meditation App for Youth in the Legal System
Official title: Effectiveness and Implementation of a Meditation App addressing Substance Use, Sexual Health, and Emotion Regulation among Legal-Involved Youth
Funded at University of Illinois at Chicago · NIH-11192266 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is exploring if a meditation app can help young people involved with the legal system manage their emotions, reduce substance use, and improve sexual health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $687,540 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA061795-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11192266 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young people involved with the legal system, specifically those on probation, who may be struggling with emotion regulation, substance use, or sexual health issues.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not involved with the legal system or who do not struggle with emotion regulation, substance use, or sexual health issues as described may not receive direct benefit from this specific intervention.
What this research studies
Young people in the legal system often face challenges with substance use and sexual health, and difficulty managing emotions can play a big role. This project is testing a mindfulness meditation app designed to help improve emotion regulation. The app is being offered to youth on probation, allowing them to access support in their daily lives. The goal is to see if using this app can lead to better outcomes for these young individuals.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this app could offer a widely accessible and effective tool for young people in the legal system to improve their well-being and reduce risky behaviors.
How similar studies have gone: A prior pilot study showed strong feasibility, acceptability, and promising signals of reduced substance use problems and sexual risk behaviors among youth using the meditation app.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kendall, Ashley D. — University of Illinois at Chicago
- Study coordinator: Kendall, Ashley D.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Emotion Regulation Help for Youth in Child Welfare to Prevent Substance Use
A tablet-based program helps early adolescents in the child welfare system learn emotion regulation skills to reduce future substance use.
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Meditation app to help substance use, sexual health, and emotion control for legally involved youth
A smartphone mindfulness app is being tested to help youths on probation manage substance use, sexual health risks, and feelings in healthy, everyday settings.
-
Helping youth in the child welfare system manage their emotions to prevent substance use
This study is testing a friendly program called iTRAC that helps young people who have faced tough situations learn how to manage their emotions better, so they can avoid turning to drugs or alcohol.
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Preventing Suicide Among Teens Who Use Substances in School Settings
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.