Preliminary evaluation of a structured support program (Transition) for young adults with housing support
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN11055465 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN11055465 |
- Submission date
- 03/10/2022
- Registration date
- 05/10/2022
- Last edited
- 27/05/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a life stage characterized by increasing independence and exploring adult roles and relationships. Young adults with neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., autism spectrum condition or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or mental health conditions (e.g., depressive disorders, anxiety disorders or psychosis) often experience this transitional phase as particularly difficult. Effective support strategies are therefore of high priority. In Sweden, this group of young adults are increasingly accessing housing support, a form of practical, educational, and social support provided by the municipalities. However, current practice differs between municipalities and the support provision has not been systematically evaluated.
The Transition program was originally developed as a structured support program for young adults with autism spectrum disorder or ADHD. The program combines a series of lectures covering seven important life domains, with individual support to help the participants identify values and goals within these domains and to start taking small steps in the valued direction. Preliminary results indicate that the program is well received by young adults and staff and can lead to positive change. This study aims to examine if the Transition program can be helpful also for young adults who receive housing support, as an add-on to support as usual.
Who can participate?
People who are 18 to 29 years of age and are recipients of housing support.
What does the study involve?
Participants will be offered the Transition program as an add-on to the support currently provided by the municipality. The Transition program consists of a series of online lectures and individual support for a total of 20 weeks. Participants will rate their quality of life, self-efficacy, health, and functioning before and after the intervention, and 6 months after completion.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The Transition program can provide participants with structured support in their daily life and prepare for adulthood in general. All specific components of the Transition program have been derived from well-established approaches previously tested for this age group, including cognitive behavioural strategies and psychoeducation. The program has also been tested with promising results in a different target group. As with other interventions, it is unlikely that all participants will benefit from the Transition program. Some transient emotional distress might also be expected as a consequence of new insights and changes in daily living during the program. Negative effects will be closely monitored throughout the study.
Where is the study run from?
Karolinska Institutet (Sweden)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
September 2020 to December 2024
Who is funding the study?
FORTE: Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Sweden)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Ulf Jonsson
ulf.jonsson@ki.se
Contact information
Scientific
Karolinska Institutet
Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND)
Gävlegatan 22B
Stockholm
SE-113 30
Sweden
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-5761-2943 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +46 (0)73 806 43 37 |
| ulf.jonsson@ki.se |
Public
Karolinska Institutet
Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND)
Gävlegatan 22B
Stockholm
SE-113 30
Sweden
| Phone | +46 (0)73 806 43 37 |
|---|---|
| ulf.jonsson@ki.se |
Study information
| Study design | Non-randomized single-arm mixed methods feasibility study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | Community |
| Study type | Quality of life |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the Transition program as an add-on to support as usual for young adults in Sweden with housing support: a non-randomised mixed methods feasibility study |
| Study objectives | The aim of this feasibility study is to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the Transition program as an add-on to for young adults with housing support. The study is not designed for formal hypothesis testing. However, within-group effects will be assessed for quality of life, self-efficacy, mental health, and functioning. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 07/09/2020, 12/07/2021, and 19/05/2022, Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Etikprövningsmyndigheten, Box 2110, SE-750 02 Uppsala, Sweden; +46 (0)10 4750800; registrator@etikprovning.se), ref: dnr 2020-03675, dnr 2021-03796, and dnr 2022-02354-02. |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Quality of life, mental health, self-efficacy and functioning in young adults who are recipients of housing support. |
| Intervention | This feasibility study will employ a single-arm design, where all included participants will be offered the Transition program as an add-on to housing support as usual. Housing support is a form of practical, educational, and social support provided by the municipalities in Sweden for people who live independently but have support needs in their daily living. Outcome measures will be collected at baseline, at 20 weeks (post-intervention), and 6 months after completion. The Transition program consists of two key components: 1. A standardised education program covering information and life skills within seven significant life domains (i.e., work, education, finance, housing, health, participation in society, and relationships) 2. An individualised support program in which values and concrete goals within these life domains are formulated and pursued. The educational part consists of seven online lectures (approximately 20 minutes each), which the participants can complete at their own pace together with their support worker. However, a minimum of one lecture per week is recommended. Each lecture is followed by questions designed to help the participant consider their own situation. The individualised part will initially run in parallel with the lectures and continue for up to 20 weeks. In conjunction with each lecture, the participants will reflect on their values within each domain and start formulating long-term goals aligned with these values. Each goal will be subdivided into concrete activities using Goal Attainment Scaling. With weekly assistance from the support worker, the participants will thereafter start working on concrete change guided by their values, goals, and activities. Support as usual is defined as the current practice used by support workers for this specific target group. This can include a combination of pedagogical and psychological strategies (e.g., motivational interviewing), but is currently not standardised. The specific content of support as usual will be monitored throughout the study. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Feasibility/acceptability: 1. Recruitment rate, intervention uptake, and retention is measured using information collected continuously over the course of the trial 2. Characteristics of the included and retained samples (e.g., diagnoses, age, gender, years of schooling) collected at baseline 3. Participant satisfaction and relevance measured using course evaluations after each of the seven educational sessions and post-intervention 4. Participation/involvement measured using the Patient Participation and Rehabilitation Questionnaire post-intervention 5. Negative effects measured using the Negative Effects Questionnaire post-intervention, one free text question included in the course evaluations administered after each session and post-intervention, and spontaneously reported events 6. Feasibility/acceptability overall based on in-depth interviews with participants (n=5) and staff (n=5) at post-intervention |
| Secondary outcome measures | Preliminary efficacy: 1. Quality of life measured using Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL-8D) and EQ-5D-5L at baseline, post-intervention, and 6 months after completion 2. Mental health measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) at baseline, post-intervention, and 6 months after completion 3. Self-efficacy measured using the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale at baseline, post-intervention, and 6 months after completion 4. Functioning measured using the Social and Self-Direction subscales of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (ABAS) at baseline, post-intervention, and 6 months after completion 5. Knowledge within the life domains covered by the Transition program measured using a knowledge test developed for this purpose at post-intervention |
| Overall study start date | 07/09/2020 |
| Completion date | 31/12/2024 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 29 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 40 |
| Total final enrolment | 28 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Aged 18 to 29 years 2. Currently accessing housing support with planned meetings at a frequency of at least once a week 3. Sufficient proficiency in Swedish |
| Key exclusion criteria | A diagnosis of intellectual disability |
| Date of first enrolment | 10/10/2022 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/12/2023 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Sweden
Study participating centre
Gävlegatan 22B
Stockholm
SE-113 30
Sweden
Sponsor information
University/education
Solnavägen 1
Stockholm
SE-171 77
Sweden
| Phone | +46 (0)8 524 865 95 |
|---|---|
| registrator@ki.se | |
| Website | http://ki.se/en/startpage |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / Local government
- Alternative name(s)
- Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, FORTE
- Location
- Sweden
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 30/06/2025 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date |
| Publication and dissemination plan | 1. Planned publication in a peer-reviewed open access journal 2. Dissemination of findings to Swedish municipalities and other stakeholders 3. No additional documents are available for this feasibility study |
| IPD sharing plan | The data-sharing plans for the current study are unknown and will be made available at a later date. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 07/02/2025 | 27/05/2025 | Yes | No |
Editorial Notes
27/05/2025: Publication reference added.
28/06/2024: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The overall end date was changed from 30/06/2024 to 31/12/2024.
2. The intention to publish date was changed from 31/12/2024 to 30/06/2025.
3. The plain English summary was updated to reflect these changes.
06/02/2024: Total final enrolment added.
19/06/2023: The recruitment end date was changed from 30/06/2023 to 31/12/2023.
04/10/2022: Trial's existence confirmed by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority.
