Building Community Resilience Program for Stress

(BCR Trial)

Overseen By Nita Vangeepuram, MD, MPH

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Travel: May Be Covered

Time Reimbursement: Varies

Trial Phase: Academic

Recruiting

Sponsor: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Disqualifiers: Incapacity, No consent, No access, others

No Placebo Group

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

Established in 2021, NYCEAL consists of approximately 40 organizational partners and 120 Community Health Workers (CHWs). Over the next four years (2024-2028), NYCEAL will work with this network to implement the following intervention: Building Community Resilience Program (BCR). To assess the impact of this intervention, an implementation research framework will be used, and pre- and post-surveys conducted, and other process evaluation measures collected. Changes in outcomes measures such as stress, resilience, overall wellbeing, and other related outcomes for participants in the BCR program will be measured for community healthcare workers and/or frontline workers that receive educational workshops.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on educational workshops and stress resilience, so it's unlikely that medication changes are required.

What data supports the effectiveness of the Building Community Resilience Program treatment for stress?

Research shows that community-based interventions focusing on resilience can improve mental health outcomes, as seen in a study from Ayacucho, Peru, where community projects led to internal strengthening and new resources. Additionally, crisis intervention training has been shown to enhance resilience and resistance, suggesting that similar community resilience programs could be effective in managing stress. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is the Building Community Resilience Program for Stress safe for humans?

The available research does not provide specific safety data for the Building Community Resilience Program for Stress, but similar programs like Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) and peer support initiatives have been used safely to support professionals in high-stress environments. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

How does the Building Community Resilience Program treatment differ from other treatments for stress?

The Building Community Resilience Program is unique because it focuses on enhancing community-level adaptive capacities like economic development, social connections, and communication to improve overall wellness and resilience against stress, rather than targeting individual symptoms or stressors directly. ^{8 11 12 13 14}

Research Team

Carol Horowitz, MD, MPH

Principal Investigator

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for community healthcare workers and frontline workers experiencing stress or burnout. Participants will be involved in educational workshops aimed at improving resilience and wellbeing.

Inclusion Criteria

Able to fill out the screening RedCap short survey

Have access to a computer or smart gadget that will allow participant to be able to join the zoom call

Working with an NYCEAL CBO participating in BCR programming

Exclusion Criteria

I cannot understand or participate in conversations well.

I am under 18 years old.

Not working with an NYCEAL CBO participating in BCR programming

Trial Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 month

Intervention (First Cohort)

The first cohort receives six virtual, hour-long, evidence-based interactive workshops over a six-month period.

6 months

6 virtual workshops

Intervention (Second Cohort)

The second cohort, initially a waitlist control group, receives the same six virtual workshops in the second year.

6 months

6 virtual workshops

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in outcomes such as burnout, resilience, stress, and wellbeing after the intervention.

6 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Building Community Resilience Program (Behavioral Intervention)

Trial Overview The Building Community Resilience Program (BCR) is being tested to see if it can help reduce stress and increase psychological resilience among participants. The program's impact will be measured using surveys before and after the intervention.

Participant Groups

Group I: Waitlist Group (Second Cohort) Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The second cohort of up to 36 participants will complete four surveys: two surveys in year 1 (matching the timing of the first cohort's surveys to serve as a control group), and two additional surveys in year 2 when they receive the intervention (a baseline survey within one month before their workshops begin, and a post-test survey within one month after their final workshop).

Group II: Immediate Intervention Group (First Cohort) Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The first cohort of up to 36 participants will complete two surveys: a baseline survey within one month before the workshops begin, and a post-test survey within one month after the final workshop (approximately 8 months total from first to last survey)

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Lead Sponsor

Trials

933

Recruited

579,000+

Findings from Research

In a study of 51 family members of critically injured patients, higher family demands were linked to lower family strengths and adaptation, indicating that stressors significantly impact family well-being.

Effective problem-solving communication was identified as a key family strength that positively influences family adaptation, suggesting that interventions focusing on this area could enhance support for families during critical times.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Impact of family demands and family strengths and capabilities on family well-being and adaptation after critical injury. Leske, JS., Jiricka, MK.[2015]

A 2-day localized crisis intervention training program significantly improved participants' resistance and resiliency scores, indicating its effectiveness in enhancing mental health skills.

Organizations should consider investing in crisis intervention training for employees, as it not only benefits individual resilience but also contributes to the overall resilience of the organization.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Improving resistance and resiliency through crisis intervention training. Chan, AO., Chan, YH., Kee, JP.[2015]

A systematic review of 1880 records identified only 8 studies focused on community-based interventions that enhance resilience in adults after disasters, indicating a significant gap in research in this area.

The findings suggest that while information provision alone may not be effective, strategies that promote social interactions and community competence show promise in improving health outcomes after disasters.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Resilience-rhetoric to reality: a systematic review of intervention studies after disasters. van Kessel, G., MacDougall, C., Gibbs, L.[2018]

Adverse events (AEs) in healthcare are common, occurring in about 10% of cases, and can have significant emotional impacts not only on patients but also on the healthcare professionals involved, who may experience trauma as 'second victims'.

Implementing Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) for healthcare staff after AEs could be a valuable strategy to support their resilience and recovery, similar to its use in other high-stress professions.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Critical incident stress debriefing after adverse patient safety events. Harrison, R., Wu, A.[2018]

The resilience of families and communities is crucial for their healthy functioning, and it can be significantly impacted by stressors like socioeconomic changes and disasters, leading to various physical and mental health issues.

The LINC Model is proposed as an effective framework to enhance connectedness among individuals, families, and communities, which can help mitigate the effects of stress and trauma by mobilizing support systems and strengthening cultural ties.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Communities that care for families: the LINC Model for enhancing individual, family, and community resilience. Landau, J.[2019]

A study of 1,515 adults in terror-stricken border communities in northern Israel found that community resilience (CR) is better predicted by proximal factors, like trust in community emergency teams, rather than just demographic or psychological characteristics.

The results highlight the significance of people's immediate responses to adversity in fostering community resilience, suggesting that enhancing trust and support systems can be crucial during stressful situations.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Proximal and distal determinants of community resilience under threats of terror. Eshel, Y., Kimhi, S., Marciano, H.[2020]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Defining and measuring stabilization of patients during 4 years of intensive community support. [2019]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Improving community mental health services for people affected by political violence in Ayacucho, Perú. [2019]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Impact of family demands and family strengths and capabilities on family well-being and adaptation after critical injury. [2015]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Improving resistance and resiliency through crisis intervention training. [2015]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Resilience-rhetoric to reality: a systematic review of intervention studies after disasters. [2018]

6. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Acute Stress in Health Workers in Colombia 2017-2021: A Cross-Sectional Study. [2023]

7. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Evaluation of'the Buddy Study', a peer support program for second victims in healthcare: a survey in two Danish hospital departments. [2022]

8. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Building resilient communities: A facilitated discussion. [2018]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Critical incident stress debriefing after adverse patient safety events. [2018]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Economic evaluation of CISM--a pilot study. [2019]

11. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Communities that care for families: the LINC Model for enhancing individual, family, and community resilience. [2019]

12. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Social resilience: the value of social fitness with an application to the military. [2011]

13. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Proximal and distal determinants of community resilience under threats of terror. [2020]

14. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Community resilience as a metaphor, theory, set of capacities, and strategy for disaster readiness. [2022]