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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04999982

Pilot Testing PREschooler Care, Community Resources, Advocacy, Referral, Education (PRE-CARE)

The goal of this proposed study is to pilot test a novel treatment model (PRE-CARE) addressing unmet social needs for families of preschool-age children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. The investigators will conduct an adaptive, pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the intervention with parents of 60 low-income children age 3-5 (36-71 months) with ADHD symptoms in order to: optimize intervention delivery; field test study logistics (e.g., recruitment, enrollment, randomization, retention); explore putative intervention mechanisms; and obtain estimates of study parameters to plan an appropriately powered RCT of the intervention.

The PRE-CARE intervention is adapted from Well Child Care, Evaluation, Community, Resources, Advocacy, Referral, Education (WE CARE), a screening and referral intervention that has been shown to be feasible and effective in addressing the family psychosocial stressors of low-income families seen in pediatric medical homes. Given the negative impact that socioeconomic stressors can have on the health and development of young children with ADHD symptoms, tailored interventions such as PRE-CARE may serve as a vital early intervention strategy to promote long-term well-being.

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Key information

Age range

16 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Legal guardian and primary caregiver of a child aged 36-71 months
  • Legal guardian or primary caregiver is age 16 years or older
  • Child receives pediatric care at Boston Medical Center or at one of the participating affiliated clinics
  • Able to understand informed consent procedures in English or Spanish
  • Participant has a child aged 36-71 months with an ADHD diagnosis, OR one elevated total or subscale score at the 80th percentile on the ADHD-Rating Scale-IV Preschool Version. 80th percentile cut-offs on the ADHD-Rating Scale-IV Preschool Version are as follows:
  • For male children, a total score ≥ 25 OR subscale score (inattention and/or hyperactivity) ≥ 12
  • For female children, a total score ≥ 13 OR subscale score (inattention and/or hyperactivity) ≥ 6 for female children

Exclusion criteria

  • There are no specific exclusion criteria for this study

Treatment and study plan

Screening

Other

Parent-report screening for remediable, unmet social needs.

Resource Packet

Other

Provision of packet of resource sheets ("Family Resource Booklet") detailing local community-based resources to address these needs, with needs that respond to family's requests highlighted.

Resource Navigation

Other

Navigation to resources, care coordination, and parent support provided by a trained bachelors-level interventionist.

Care as usual

Other

Screening for social needs annually at well-child visits as recommended by the AAP followed by provision of information as needed by the family.

Primary outcomes

  1. ADHD Symptoms

    Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months

    ADHD-Rating Scale (RS)-IV Preschool Version is a parent-report survey that measures presence and severity of ADHD symptoms for preschoolers. In our study, we used this measure to assess overall ADHD symptom burden. The 18-item validated scale asks parents about the 18 diagnostic criteria for ADHD and how often their child exhibits each symptom. The scale can be used as an overall score (total symptoms) or by subscales (9-item inattention subscale and 9-item hyperactivity subscale). Responses are reported by parents for each item along a 4-point Likert scale from 0 to 3, where 0=rarely or never and 3=very often. For our purposes, we computer the total score for a measure of total ADHD symptom severity, and did not use the subscales. Total scores range from 0 to 54, where lower is less ADHD symptoms/lower symptom severity, and higher scores represent higher symptom severity.

  2. Total Resources Enrolled (Parent Report)

    Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

    Resource access was measured based on a parent report checklist of resources enrolled. The checklist was based on the Child HealthWatch Survey and modeled after data collected for the clinical trial testing the original social determinants intervention on which this intervention is based. The checklist included 18 resources that families could be enrolled in (for example - healthcare services, mental health care, special education, food benefits, housing assistance, etc), and asked parents to indicate which resources they were enrolled in. The end result is a count between 0 and 18 representing how many resources their family was enrolled in. Higher numbers indicate higher number of resources enrolled, whereas lower numbers indicate lower number of resources enrolled.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Child Psychiatric Symptoms

    Time frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months

    The Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 (CBCL 1.5/5) is a standardized tool used to assess child psychiatric symptoms for children 1.5-5 years old. The questionnaire obtains caregivers' ratings of 99 problem items along a Likert scale. Parents/caregivers rate each item 0=not true, 1=somewhat or sometimes true, 2=very true or often true of the child (based on the preceding 6 months). Higher scores are correlated with more psychiatric symptoms. Items can be grouped into syndrome scales or the total score can be used to represent overall psychiatric symptom severity. Here we use the total score to represent total psychiatric symptoms. Scores are reported as t-scores, where 50 indicates the population mean with a standard deviation of 10. Higher scores indicate more symptoms. On this scale, scores between 65 and 69 are considered borderline elevated, and scores of 70 or more are considered clinically significant.

  2. Parental Depression

    Time frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

    Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 will be used to measure frequency and severity of parental symptoms of depression within the past two weeks. The measure is the major depressive disorder (MDD) module of the full PHQ, and scores each of the 9 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual criteria of MDD as "0" (not at all) to "3" (nearly every day), providing a 0-27 severity score. Higher scores are correlated with more parental depression.

  3. Parental Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

    Time frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

    Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) Symptom Checklist will be used to measure parent ADHD symptoms. The measure consists of 18 items matching Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV criteria for adult ADHD. Items are scored on a 5-point Likert scale, (Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Very Often). The questionnaire is scored based on number of symptoms, leadng to a score between 0 and 18 for the questionnaire. Items 1, 2, 3, 9, 12, 16, 18 are each counted as a symptom (1 point each) if the participant answers Sometimes, Often, or Very Often. Items 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17 are each counted as a symptom (1 point each) if the participant answers Often or Very Often. Higher scores indicate higher symptom burden.

  4. Global Perceived Stress

    Time frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

    The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) will be used to measure perceptions of levels of stress within the past month using 10 items on a 4 point Likert scale indicating 0 = Never, 1 = Almost Never, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Fairly Often, and 4 = Very Often. Higher scores [range 0 to 40] are correlated with more perceived stress.

  5. Parenting Stress

    Time frame: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months

    The Parenting Stress Inventory, Short Form (PSI-4-SF) will be used to measure specific levels of stress in relation to taking care of their child and the parent-child system. The scale includes 36 items, each of which uses a 4-point Likert scale from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. The scale includes subscales and a Total score representing total stress on parents, reported here. Possible scores range from 36 to 180. Higher scores are correlated with more parental stress.

  6. PRE-CARE Feasibility and Acceptability Questionnaire

    Time frame: 3 months

    The PRE-CARE Feasibility and Acceptability Questionnaire will be used to measure intervention satisfaction using 14 items on a 4 point Likert scale. Items will ask about satisfaction of information and resources provided, length of intervention, perceived helpfulness of intervention, and whether or not they would recommend the program to a parent of a similarly aged child. Higher scores are correlate with greater satisfaction.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Registry information

Official study title

Pilot Testing PRE-CARE to Address Unmet Social Needs for Preschoolers With Inattention and/or Hyperactivity

Acronym: PRE-CARE

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2025
First posted
Aug 11, 2021
Registry last updated
Sep 2, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

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This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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