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Community and Treatment Engagement for Depressed African American Youth: The AAKOMA FLOA Pilot

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Abstract

This manuscript focuses on the recruitment efforts and pilot testing of a culturally tailored motivational interviewing intervention associated with the AAKOMA Project, a 2-phase treatment engagement intervention trial for depressed African American adolescents and families. The research team used strategic community engagement as reported in other research derived from AAKOMA. For the pilot study, the research team recruited 23 youth, enrolled 17 youth and randomized 16 of those youth to either the intervention or a delayed control group. Findings indicated that success in recruiting and retaining African American youth was sustained from earlier strategic engagement during Phase I of the project and that schools and self referrals were the largest referral sources. Pilot intervention findings highlight the preliminary utility of the intervention (100% of youth completing the intervention initiated depression treatment compared to 75% of the delayed control group) and factors that support the recruitment and engagement of a typically difficult to reach population (depressed African American youth and families). Overall, findings set the stage for further intervention development and testing in larger samples.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by awards from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities awarded to Dr. Breland-Noble.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Alfiee M. Breland-Noble

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  1. Alfiee M. Breland-Noble
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The AAKOMA Project Adult Advisory Board

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Correspondence to Alfiee M. Breland-Noble.

Additional information

The members of the AAKOMA Project Adult Advisory Board are given in the appendix.

Appendix

Appendix

The AAKOMA Project Adult advisory board consists of 13 adults from the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. The AAKOMA Project Adult Advisory Board Members include Reverend Clarence Burke, Beacon Light Missionary Baptist Church; Ms. Cynthia Clinton, J.D. Duke University Medical Center; Dr. Karon Dawkins, UNC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Mrs. Cynthia Laws-Davis, Passage Home; Dr. Angela Lee, North Carolina Central University Counseling Center; Dr. Theresa Lewis, private practice; Mrs. H. Kathy Williams, retiree, Durham Public Schools; Mrs. Janis Quarles, retiree, Wake County Schools; Mrs. Karen Sansom-Goodman, Haven House; Judge Joe Webster, NC Office of Administrative Law; Dr. Delbert Wigfall, Duke University Medical Center, Department of Nephrology; Mr. Allan Younger, retiree, IBM; and Mrs. Marjorie Younger, retiree, Wake County Schools.

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Breland-Noble, A.M., The AAKOMA Project Adult Advisory Board. Community and Treatment Engagement for Depressed African American Youth: The AAKOMA FLOA Pilot. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 19, 41–48 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-011-9281-0

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