Emotional Empowerment and Lifelong Strength for young Black adults

Co-Producing a Trauma and Substance Use Mental Health Literacy Intervention

This pilot will try a 12-week, culturally tailored mental health education program to help young Black adults with past trauma better understand and manage trauma- and substance use–related mental health concerns.

Quick facts

• Phase: NA
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 80 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years to 35 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (other)
• Locations: 1 site (Piscataway, New Jersey)
• Trial ID: NCT07378254 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

The study will co-produce a culturally tailored mental health literacy intervention with a Community Advisory Board using the Theory of Planned Behavior and the social ecological model as guides. The program consists of 12 weekly group education sessions designed to target beliefs and resources at individual, interpersonal, organizational, and community levels. The intervention will be piloted in a single-arm design among English-speaking Black young adults with lifetime trauma exposure, with assessments at baseline, mid-intervention, and post-intervention and randomly invited post-study focus groups for participant feedback.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal participants are English-speaking Black or African American adults aged 18–35 who report past lifetime trauma and can attend weekly group sessions and study assessments.

Not a fit: People who do not identify as Black/African American, are outside the 18–35 age range, cannot attend in-person weekly sessions, have no lifetime trauma exposure, or require immediate clinical treatment for severe substance use or acute psychiatric instability are unlikely to benefit from this educational pilot.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the program could increase mental health knowledge, reduce stigma, and improve help-seeking and service use for trauma- and substance use–related concerns among young Black adults.

How similar studies have performed: Culturally tailored mental health literacy programs have shown promising improvements in knowledge and help-seeking in some populations, but targeted pilots for trauma and substance use specifically among young Black adults remain limited.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Self-identify as Black or African American
2. Be between the ages of 18 and 35 years old
3. Endorse previous lifetime trauma exposure
4. Participants must speak English
5. Participants are capable of giving informed consent and capable of complying with study procedures.

Where this trial is running

Piscataway, New Jersey

• Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies — Piscataway, New Jersey, United States (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Alexandria Bauer, PhD

Conditions: Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders, Substance Use, mental health literacy, trauma, substance use, psychoeducation, Black and African American, young adults