# A Treatment Engagement Protocol to Improve Follow-Up Care for Psychiatrically Hospitalized Adolescents at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis

> **NIH NIH K23** · RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL · 2022 · $196,592

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract (30 lines):
Many individuals with psychotic disorders report having experienced subthreshold clinical high
risk (CHR) symptoms in adolescence. Identification and engagement of youth in early stages of
psychosis can facilitate symptom monitoring, and early treatment maximizes recovery. The
purpose of this study is to identify psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents who present with
new-onset CHR symptoms and enroll them and their caregivers in a brief treatment
engagement intervention. The specific aims are to: 1) develop a brief family-based intervention
and pilot the intervention in a randomized control trial (RCT); 2) evaluate the engagement of
therapeutic mechanisms presumed to underlie the intervention; and 3) evaluate the relations
between the proposed mechanisms and service use. The proposed intervention includes three
evidence-based modules: assessment, psychoeducation, and motivational enhancement. Three
purported underlying mechanisms will be targeted: mental health literacy, attitudes toward
treatment, and family partnership. Content will be reinforced after discharge using an existing
mobile platform designed to enhance the scope and reach of the intervention (e.g., track
referrals, monitor symptoms, and provide ongoing access to materials). In order to develop and
adapt the intervention to the inpatient setting, evidence-based content will be piloted with
identified teens and parents, and qualitative interviews will be conducted to explore opinions
regarding intervention content and delivery. This pilot will be conducted with parents and teens
(n = 16-30 dyads) using an iterative approach to finalize content. Next, an RCT will be
conducted with a larger sample (n = 80 dyads), and outcomes, measured at 1- and 3-month
follow-ups, will be compared to a treatment-as-usual group. Primary outcomes will be
engagement of the purported therapeutic mechanisms (i.e. mental health literacy, attitudes
toward treatment, family partnership). Secondary outcomes include outpatient service use and
completion of referral to the state’s coordinated specialty care (CSC) clinic, an early psychosis
program offering outpatient case management to support service transitions and ongoing
monitoring. The broad goals of this study are to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the
brief intervention, and to explore the intervention’s engagement of mechanisms and influence
on service use outcomes. The proposed study is innovative because it offers specialized
intervention for CHR starting on an adolescent inpatient unit and continuing after discharge with
a symptom monitoring family support program. The novel intervention program may enhance
linkage to ongoing mental health care, a step that is crucial for improving CHR outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10300445
- **Project number:** 5K23MH119211-03
- **Recipient organization:** RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth Courtney Thompson
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $196,592
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-12-01 → 2023-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10300445

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10300445, A Treatment Engagement Protocol to Improve Follow-Up Care for Psychiatrically Hospitalized Adolescents at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (5K23MH119211-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10300445. Licensed CC0.

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