Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

University of Illinois at Chicago

Code:

NCT05294042

Conditions

Community Mental Health Services

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 0 - 14

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Navigation

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose is to study a model of mental health navigation for African American and Latinx children (0-14 years) in high poverty urban communities focused on reducing key parental attitudinal barriers to care. Reducing persistent racial and ethnic disparities in children's mental health is a national priority and patient navigation is a highly promising approach that is rarely used in children's mental health services. The study will examine the effectiveness of paraprofessional (PP) navigators who have strong community knowledge and waitlist as usual condition (active wailt list \[AWL\]. The study will examine specific mechanisms of navigator effectiveness in children's mental health and compare an AWL to provide a rigorous test of the proposed mechanisms. The knowledge gained from this application may be important to reducing disparities and employing the workforce best suited to navigation in the community mental health system. Two community boards, one focused on identifying factors important to supporting navigators at the agencies (Implementation and Sustainability Community Board) will meet quarterly, and the other focused on implications for state and federal policy (Public Policy Board), will meet annually.

Conditions

Community Mental Health Services

Study ID

NCT05294042

Start date

Mar 3, 2022

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Feb 28, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 0 - 14

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • African American and Latinx Children between 0 and 14 years of age and their caregiver
  • New referrals on the waitlist for outpatient mental health services; families interested and engaged in social services from two state supported projects.
  • Have been screened and deemed appropriate for services at one of two social service participating community mental health agencies; or engaged in services via navigation projects

Exclusion Criteria:

  • N/A

Study Design

Enrollment

154 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Non randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Health Services Research

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Paraprofessional Navigation Condition

Paraprofessional Navigators will implement a model of navigation with caregivers focused on reducing logistical and attitudinal barriers to care.

no intervention: Wait-List as Usual

Participants will be assigned as wait-list as usual (active wait list) at each agency.

Interventions

Navigation

The intervention in this study is a model of navigation for families seeking services at the two mental health agencies collaborating on this study. Navigators will implement a model of navigation with caregivers focused on reducing logistical and attitudinal barriers to care.

Primary outcome measure

  • Initiation of services by caregiver [ Time Frame: Up to 18 months ]
  • Attendance in services; navigator and caregiver report [ Time Frame: 18 months ]
  • Change from Baseline Measure of Perceived Homophily at 6, 12, and 18 months [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months ]
  • Change from Baseline Social Network Assessment of Boundary Spanning at 6, 12, and 18 months [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months ]
  • Change from Baseline Norbeck Social Support at 6, 12, and 18 months [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months ]
  • Change from Baseline Parental Attitudes Toward Psychological Services at 6, 12, and 18 months [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months ]
  • Change from Baseline Family Empowerment at 6, 12, and 18 months [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months ]
  • Change from Baseline Vanderbilt Mental Health Self Efficacy at 6, 12, and 18 months [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months ]
  • Change from Baseline Barriers to Treatment Participation at 6,12, and 18 months [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months ]
  • Change from Baseline PROMIS Global Health Scale at 6, 12, and 18 months [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months ]
  • Change from Baseline OHIO Scales at 6, 12, and 18 months [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months ]
  • Change from Baseline Strength and Difficulties at 6, 12, and 18 months [ Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months ]
  • Demographics [ Time Frame: Baseline ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Tara G Mehta, PhD

312-996-3910tmehta@uic.edu

Locations

University of Illinois at Chicago

Recruiting

Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60608

Contacts

Leo Perez-Aquino, M.S.

312-996-5155pleopa@uic.edu

Viviana Uribe, B.A.

312-996-8951uribe3@uic.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of Illinois at Chicago

Last update posted

Aug 17, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Keywords

  • Child Mental Health Services
  • Racial and Ethnic Disparities
  • Urban Poverty
  • Navigation
  • Paraprofessional

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Illinois at Chicago on 2026-08-17.