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NCT Number: NCT06921499

Va Meh Du: A Sports-based Mental Health Promotion Intervention for Karenni Refugees

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a soccer program focused on mental health positively impacts mental health in Karenni refugee young boys and men. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does mental health education provided during a sports program improve mental health coping for Karenni refugee young boys and men? Does participation in a sports-program improve social connection for Karenni refugee young boys and men?

Researchers will compare those receiving mental health education to a comparison group to see if mental health education improves mental health coping skills.

Participants will:

Participate weekly soccer practices for 6 months Receive mental health education or comparison activities Answer questions about their health, such as their coping skills, social connection, and physical activity

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Key information

Conditions

Coping Skills Behavior Motor Activity Personal Satisfaction Physical Activity Psychological Well Being Psychological Well-Being Social Connectedness

Age range

8 year and older

Sex eligibility

Male

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Bamboo Roots

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27104, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • For child/minor participants: 8-16 years old, self-identifies as Karenni, self-identifies as a boy, speaks English, currently lives in Piedmont Triad area of NC, has parental consent, assents to participate
  • For adult participants--18 years of age, self-identifies as Karenni, self-identifies as a man, speaks English and Karenni, currently lives in Piedmont Triad area of NC, consents to participate, anticipates missing no more than 2 practices

Exclusion criteria

  • [for adult participants only]: Criminal record indicating potential harm to children (i.e., convicted of a violent or sexual crime, registration in the Sex Offender Registry, Responsible Individual List, or Child Maltreatment Registry) or are expected to miss more than 2 practices

Treatment and study plan

Va Meh Du (Mental Health Education)

Behavioral

Participants randomized to Va Meh Du (mental health education) will receive 20-30 minutes of mental health education each week for roughly 5 weeks. Mental health education will be evidence-based, using sports psychology practices, and culturally targeted toward Karenni refugees.

Active Compartor

Behavioral

Participants randomized to comparison will receive 20-30 minutes of team-building activities each week for roughly 5 weeks.

Primary outcomes

  1. Coping Skills

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of intervention at 6 months

    Change in engagement coping skills will be measured using Coping Strategies Inventory-Short Form for adult participants and KIDCOPE for minor participants

  2. Social Connectedness

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of intervention at 6 months

    Change in social connectedness will be measured using Social Connectedness Revised Scale for adult participants and NIH Toolbox Pediatric social relationship scales (Friendship and Loneliness) for minor participants

Secondary outcomes

  1. Psychological Well being

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of intervention at 6 months

    Change in psychological well-being will be measured using the Flourishing Scale and WHO-5 for adult and minor participants

  2. Physical Activity

    Time frame: From enrollment to end of intervention at 6 months

    Change in physical activity will be measured via the self-report questions: "In the past 3 months, how physically active have you been?" and "In the past 6 months, how physically active have you been?" Participants will answer using a 5-point Likert Scale from 1 (Very often) to 5 (Never).

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Ana D Sucaldito

CONTACT

[email protected]

336-334-3240

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Continuing and Expanding Va Meh Du, A Mental Health Promotion Program for Karenni Refugee Children and Emerging Adults

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Apr 10, 2025
Registry last updated
Jun 8, 2025

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

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

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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