Rise & Thrive: Community-Engagement Intervention for Stress and Depression in Youth.

American youth and young adults face persistent and chronic stressors, which have contributed to a mental health crisis in the United States. Four in 10 American high school students experience chronic feelings of sadness and hopelessness, 2 in 10 report suicidal ideation, and 1 in 10 attempt suicide. For adolescents and young adults, chronic stress translates to weathering, or wear and tear on the mind and body. Chronic stress in youth contributes to psychological distress, elevated allostatic load, and an elevated risk for chronic diseases and premature death. While the connection between chronic stress and health is well documented, few studies provide evidence on innovative, non-medication strategies to reduce stress and mitigate the consequences of chronic stress on psychological and physiological outcomes. Thus, there is a critical need to rigorously test interventions that prevent the negative influence of chronic stress on mental and physical health, beginning in adolescence. The specific aims of the study are to 1) Determine whether a community-engagement, peer-based behavioral intervention reduces depressive symptoms in adolescents and young adults, 2) Determine whether a community-engagement behavioral intervention lowers allostatic load scores in adolescents and young adults, and 3) Identify factors that help sustain or inhibit community-engagement and intervention effects for adolescents and young adults. To accomplish these aims, the team will conduct a phase II community-engaged, peer group-based, multi-component randomized behavioral clinical trial. We will collect psychological and physiological measures at baseline, then at 6-month intervals for 2 years post-community-engaged, skills training.