School-based Practices in Arts and Resilience for Kids (NCT06945497)
School-based Practices in Arts and Resilience for Kids (SPARK Study)
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
This proposal will implement and test feasibility and efficacy of school-based art therapy and yoga/mindfulness programming to reduce mental health disparities and foster resilience in youth. We will conduct a cross-over randomized trial with n=250 youth (any race/ethnicity or gender, ages 11-14) from two schools: one serving majority Black/African American students and one serving a population-representative ethnoracial demographic with 50% economically disadvantaged students. Baseline data collection will assess experiences of discrimination, negative experiences, positive experiences, and severity of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, and resilience. Youth will be randomly assigned to art therapy or yoga/mindfulness for a quarter. Hour-long weekly sessions will occur during elective course times within school to bolster accessibility and generate data to inform future school-based care models for sustainability. Target schools co-developed this design with the research team. At the end of the quarter, participants will engage in post-intervention data collection, including qualitative interviews regarding their experience with the school-based programming. Participants will then cross over to the yoga/mindfulness or art therapy for the subsequent quarter, such that all participants receive both modalities. The methods described above will be repeated, including the assessments. Academic performance will be assessed throughout. We hypothesize that both modalities will be effective in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression related to discrimination, adversity, and trauma that disproportionately impacts racially and ethnically minoritized youth. We anticipate that qualitative feedback will identify points of optimization for programming and inform which students may be most responsive to what intervention(s).
Who can join: Review the eligibility criteria below.
Location: Chandler Park Academy Middle School — Harper Woods, Michigan
Age range: 11 Years to 14 Years
🧪 Interventions in This Study
- Art Therapy (BEHAVIORAL)
- Yoga/Mindfulness (BEHAVIORAL)
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistFull eligibility criteria are available on the official NIH protocol. View the criteria ↗
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (2 Sites)
- Chandler Park Academy Middle School — Harper Woods, Michigan
- Jefferson Middle School — Saint Clair Shores, Michigan
📞 Contact the Study Coordinator
Phone: (313) 389-1777
Email: lgrasser@med.wayne.edu
Coordinator details come directly from the registered NIH protocol. Confirm the study is still recruiting before traveling.
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.
More studies in Anxiety
- Intervention Trial for Healthcare Workers With Anxiety — Los Angeles, California
- Smartphones Aggravating Anxiety Symptoms — Rochester, Minnesota
- Digital Single Session Intervention for Youth Mental Health — Indianapolis, Indiana
- Testing FIRST in Youth Outpatient Psychotherapy — Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Novel Mental Health Therapies to Improve Military Readiness — Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
- Brain Stimulation & Generalized Anxiety Study — New York, New York
Explore by condition: All Anxiety clinical trials
💡 How to Participate
- Check the checklist above to see if you may qualify.
- Contact the study coordinator using the phone/email above.
- Ask about the visit schedule, what is covered at no cost, and any travel support.
- Confirm with your own doctor before making a decision.