PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Childhood maltreatment is a major public health problem that is a risk factor for substance use across the
lifespan. Emotion regulation (ER) is a modifiable mechanism underlying the impact of maltreatment on
substance use but is often impaired in youth with a maltreatment history due to the neurotoxic effects of early
trauma and/or neglect. Interventions to support the development of adaptive ER in youth with a maltreatment
history have the potential to interrupt trajectories of risk and enhance health outcomes, yet this population is
often difficult to reach and frequently faces structural and psychosocial barriers to engagement in intervention.
Furthermore, the child welfare system, which is designed to protect and support youth with maltreatment
histories, is under resourced and often unable to meet the critical needs for prevention in this population.
Interventions targeting substance use with this population must be acceptable, easily accessible, and low
resource for the child welfare system. iTRAC is a tablet-based ER skills training intervention for early
adolescents that previously demonstrated good feasibility and acceptability, as well as increases in emotional
self-efficacy, emotional awareness, and use of ER strategies with community samples of urban adolescents.
iTRAC’s approach of delivering ER content through a technological platform may effectively engage and
promote ER and prevent substance use among youth with maltreatment histories. This tablet-based approach
may also be more sustainable in child welfare settings than approaches that require a trained clinician.
However, no prior work has examined iTRAC with this vulnerable population. In collaboration with the Rhode
Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families, the proposed research will innovate and enhance the
existing iTRAC intervention to integrate substance use content with the goal of reducing substance use among
child welfare involved youth. This work will occur in two phases. During the Planning and Intervention
Enhancement Phase (Phase I), we will interview adolescents, caregivers, and child welfare professionals to
obtain their diverse perspectives regarding the integration of ER and substance use. We will subsequently
create and program this content within the iTRAC framework, followed by acceptability testing to ensure
usability and understanding. Upon completion of Phase I, we will begin Phase II, during which a real-world
efficacy (hybrid efficacy-effectiveness) trial of youth with maltreatment histories will test the impact of the
iTRAC for Substance Use (iTRAC-SU) intervention over an 8-month follow-up period. We will also assess the
feasibility, acceptability, uptake, and costs of this approach. Trial results, and qualitive interviews with child
welfare professionals at the end of the project, will inform sustainability planning beyond the project period.