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Coping and Support Training (CAST)

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Coping and Support Training (CAST) is a high school-based suicide prevention program that targets high-risk young adults in grades 9-12. CAST delivers life-skills training and social support in small-group format. CAST’s skills training sessions target three main goals: (1) increased mood management, (2) improved school performance, and (3) decreased drug involvement. The program sessions focus on skills training with an emphasis on self-esteem, monitoring and setting goals, decision-making, better management of anger and depression, “school smarts”, and control of drug use. CAST groups meet for twelve, 1-hr sessions.

Goal / Mission

The goal of CAST training is to deliver life-skills training to high-risk high school students in order to increase mood management skills, improve school performance, and decrease drug involvement.

Impact

CAST participants in several NIH-funded studies saw significant and sustained reduction of suicide risk behaviors, reduction of drug use, reduction in depression, increase in personal control, increase in problem-solving, and increase in family support.

Results / Accomplishments

In one clinical randomized controlled trial (RCT) that compared CAST participants with usual care for youth at suicide risk, CAST participants showed significantly greater declines relative to usual care youth in two of the four suicide risk factors: declines in positive attitudes toward suicide and in suicidal ideation. The rates of decline in these suicidal behaviors were most pronounced in the first 4 weeks after baseline assessment (p < .05). A slight rebound occurred in positive attitude toward suicide at 10 weeks, but reductions were sustained at the 9-month follow-up (p. < .05). For suicidal ideation, the initial declines were maintained throughout the 9 months of follow-up (p < .05). In addition to other positive outcomes, CAST youth had faster rates of decline in depressed affect compared with usual care youth (p < .05). Controlling for baseline depression, the severity of depression symptoms decreased significantly in the CAST youth relative to usual care youth (p < .008) at the 10-week follow-up, with an additional decrease at the 9-month follow-up after the baseline assessment (p < .002).

Thompson, E. A., Eggert, L. L., Randell, B. P., & Pike, K. C. (2001). Evaluation of indicated suicide risk prevention approaches for potential high school dropouts. American Journal of Public Health, 91(5), 742-752. - See more at: http://www.reconnectingyouth.com/research/cast-evaluation-studies/#js

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Reconnecting Youth, Inc.
Primary Contact
Reconnecting Youth, Inc.
P.O. Box 20343
Seattle, WA 98102
425-861-1177
info@reconnectingyouth.com
http://www.reconnectingyouth.com/
Topics
Health / Adolescent Health
Education / Student Performance K-12
Health / Prevention & Safety
Organization(s)
Reconnecting Youth, Inc.
Source
SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP)
Date of publication
2002
Location
USA
For more details
http://www.reconnectingyouth.com/programs/cast/
Target Audience
Teens

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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